Macorp and GFF inks historic MoU that will see 10-footballers benefiting from one-year scholarships

Apr 28, 2021 Sports

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By Franklin Wilson

Kaieteur News – Underscoring the fact that there is life after football, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde yesterday inked a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CEO of Machinery Corporation of Guyana Ltd. (Macorp), Guillermo Escarraga which would empower ten (10) footballers including female players through one-year scholarships.
Forde commented: “What we have demonstrated here today between the GFF and Macorp is the fact that here’s an opportunity that we are both seizing that can have a huge and lasting positive impact on the life of a young man or a young woman who would have served this country with distinction in their respective field of play.”
Escarraga hailed yesterday’s activity as significant as the MoU provides for the players, opportunities to learn skills that would impact their lives besides the field of play.
“We know the Guyana Football Federation is doing a fantastic job giving them skills to perform on the field but there is life after their football careers. We want to ensure that we make a contribution and we help them have a career that can help sustain their families; that can assist them in getting jobs once their football careers may have ended, even during the time they represent Guyana.”
In noting that football has a bright future, the CEO posited that Macorp is proud of the players who don national colours, underscoring that the Federation is also doing its utmost to ensure that competitive teams are put together to represent the Golden Arrowhead against regional opposition in keeping with one of its specific goals of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup which Macorp completely endorses.
“That’s why we are rendering this support to the GFF especially to the President who has been working in collaboration with Macorp for quite some time and we have seen the good work that they have put to develop the football in Guyana.”
Escarraga also expressed that Macorp is well aware of the role sports plays in developing communities whilst offering youths the opportunities to develop and become viable members of society.
“And that’s why we also see this as an opportunity to motivate others that may want to get into football to participate knowing there are opportunities out there for them; that’s why this is so important for us.”
The skilled training that would be afforded the players (Excavator Operation and Technicians for the Caribbean Programme) is in keeping with the ever growing demands for quality skilled persons in Guyana Escarraga noted, reminding that his company has always led the way in bringing the latest state-of-the-art technology to Guyana; training of personnel to operate and maintain their high quality equipment also being integral.
The main framework is in place but the modalities are yet to be worked out. Forde indicated that Macorp has forwarded to the Federation what the company’s requirements are for an individual to be accepted so they now have to work towards ensuring that the right persons are selected.
“We will try to engage all of our membership; we will have to come up with a system because they’re some practical things that we will have to sort out. While I would like to have one person from each association, the reality is, how do we accommodate them and all of that, so that is going to be the difficult balance because we do not want a single person entering into this programme that doesn’t make it all the way to the end.
President Forde shared what prompted him to reach out to Escarraga in relation to the players benefitting was when in February, he read that Macorp was investing USD $25M to construct a mega complex at Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara which would cater for among other things, a Training Academy as part of the new strategic direction of the company.
“It came to me that this might be an opportunity for players to have access to and I reached out to the CEO and we started to talk about it. We both became more and more excited about it as we saw how much this can really benefit young players.”
Forde challenged other companies in Guyana to emulate Macorp’s example: “There are too many companies in Guyana I know do have the capacity to do things like this, even if it’s offering what I often call soft employment to sportsmen and women. Where they can probably come in at 09:00 in the morning after they would have done their early morning training and leave at two.”
Forde also suggested that these players can be placed in specific areas in keeping with their career objectives or ambition.
“So, I believe that a lot more can be done to help our transition in to a more productive life after their competitive careers would have ended. I often remind myself of a famous quote; it’s always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. We have too many people that are easily pointing towards things that don’t work and things that should work this way, rather than people working towards solutions.”

 

 

 

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