Forde hails Golden Jaguars’ success

Oct 20, 2023 Sports

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…calls for more corporate, Government support

By Rawle Toney

Kaieteur Sports – With Guyana on the brink of advancing to League A of the Concacaf Nations League, Kaieteur News’ Rawle Toney (RT) sat down with president of the Guyana Football Federation, Wayne Forde (WF), where they discussed the future direction of the senior men’s national team.

The Golden Jaguars are four-for-four in Group D of League B, where they sit comfortably at the top on 12 points, ahead of Puerto Rico (9), Antigua and Barbuda (4) and The Bahamas (1).

RT: As the Golden Jaguars approach qualification for League A, what factors do you attribute to the team’s success?

WF: Let me first seize this opportunity to join the rest of Guyana in congratulating our beloved Golden Jaguars for what has been so far, an exceptional campaign. Coach Shabazz, his technical support staff and the hard working staff at the GFF Secretariat have all worked tirelessly over the past months to support the preparation of the team and to ensure that they had every possible support needed to perform at their best.

What we are witnessing are the fruits of many years of strategic investment in the Senior Men’s programme, coupled with the right balance of specially gifted players, combined with the fatherly leadership style of Coach Jamal Shabazz.

Jamal is special in how he interacts, communicates and leads those Men, he has a gift and the evidence is clear – they play for him as though their lives depended on the outcome of each game.

Outside of those intangible elements, we can credit their performance to an extensive unhindered preparation period which was possible because the Golden Jaguars now have a home – the GFF National Training Centre.

Additionally, we have invested heavily in new technologies, modern tools and equipment to enhance the training sessions and the gathering of essential data which is necessary for informed tactical and strategic decision making by the Head Coach and his Technical Staff.

We have also hired a world class resident fitness expert, who has done a remarkable job in bringing our domestic players to a level of fitness that mirrors professional standards. The fitness of the team was key in their victories.

More importantly however, are the players themselves, both domestic based and international, who have clearly made a deep commitment to the vision of the GFF’s leadership.

RT: It’s no secret that the GFF provides the majority of funding for football in Guyana, including club, women’s football, and the national teams, with limited corporate support. How challenging does this financial burden become as the Senior team advances to a higher level in Concacaf, accompanied by increased responsibilities?

WF: To be clear, it is the core duty of the GFF to provide funding, technical support and other related resources for football operations across the 83,000 square miles of Guyana. We have been meeting this responsibility in an unprecedented fashion over the past seven years. Through the Members Financial Assistance Programme (M-FAP) our Regional Associations, Affiliates and Elite Leagues Clubs are all well-resourced.

That said, I must also acknowledge the generous contributions our Corporate partners who, for many decades, have contributed generously to the game and continue to do so even now. We now see more Corporate entities investing in football especially at the youth level, which is the foundation of the sport, and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to each of them.

However, with an increase of more than 300% in regional National Teams competitions at the junior and senior levels since 2016, the GFF has been severely challenged to fund these activities.

The FIFA Forward programme obligates each Member Association (MA) to play a minimum of 4 international games per calendar year as a requirement to access funding.

Our experience in securing Corporate support for the National Teams in particular, is no different from what other nations within the Caribbean Region are experiencing.

I am absolutely convinced that the prevailing perception is that football has loads of money to fund their programmes and activities – this is furthest from the truth.

Additionally, in discussions with many Corporate entities, they often question the value of brand exposure outside of their primary market space. In my humble opinion and respectfully, I have always argued that supporting your national team is much bigger than Return on Investment calculation.

However, I would also accept that we need to do much more in packaging and valuing the commercial assets of the national teams.

The truth is, we simply do not have enough funds to adequately resource all of our national teams while at the same time, aggressively investing in our domestic programmes.

On average, each senior Men home and away fixture cost the GFF on average USD150,000, the senior Women comes in around USD125,000 with each youth team costing approximately USD65,000 per international tournament. This is on top of the preparation cost and staff compensation.

At the moment we have our Senior Men and Woman playing simultaneously, this is unprecedented and it is costing the GFF USD870,338.

So, we would welcome corporate Guyana coming onboard to be sponsors for the various national teams as they would be engaging in bringing prestige to the nation and giving themselves the visibility and public goodwill such a noble gesture deserves.

RT: Achieving promotion to League A will likely require additional funding from the GFF. Can you provide an estimate of the average cost increase for your Federation?

WF: It will be “GUYANA” being promoted to the highest tier of football within a 41 nation Confederation, which would be a proud moment for our nation. These players are ambassadors and the entire nation share in their success.  I think this is how decision makers at every level need to view this.

However, while looking ahead to League A promotion is important, it is equally important that we keep our feet on the ground and remain focused on one game at a time.

I am confident that we will qualify but the common expression “football is on the day” is not to be taken lightly and I therefore want my boys to remain focused on the task at hand.

The bottom of the table teams have nothing to lose and they will throw everything at us in the November window. It is important that we close this campaign strongly.

That being said, we are already crunching the numbers and the figures are frightening if we were to gear ourselves to truly compete rather than just simply participate.

I have no illusion regarding the level of football we will encounter in League A. To compete against the USA, Mexico, Canada, Panama etc. would be an entirely new stratosphere for Guyana. However, with the right level of preparation our Boys will do well.

RT: Considering that the GFF Training Centre is still under construction, what concerns do you have about not having a venue in Guyana that meets the basic requirements for Concacaf matches in League A, where revenue opportunities and private sector partnerships are at stake for the Golden Jaguars?

WF: It would be simply heartbreaking for the Guyanese fans to be denied the opportunity to witness the history making qualification to League A of the Concacaf Nations League. The revenue potential of a home game also cannot be ignored.

However, these are not matters that I have any control over so I am currently channeling my energies on making the best of the current situation while planning diligently for 2024.

I was glad to see that the authorities have permitted hockey to play at the National Stadium. So I am hopeful, given that both hockey and football use similar cleats, they would acquiesce to let our home games be played there for such an epoch-making event as Guyana being in League A.

RT: How crucial is it for the Government of Guyana, Corporate Guyana and other stakeholders to collaborate with the GFF, especially with League A matches approaching in close proximity to FIFA World Cup qualifiers?

WF: The global interest and visibility our Golden Jaguars will generate by qualifying to League A on the heels of the 2026 FIFA world Cup qualification campaign which kicks off in March of 2024, demand nothing short of a national effort in support of our Boys.

The GFF will work diligently to package the assets and opportunities Corporate Guyana may be able to exploit on such a platform, in addition to working across a wide cross section of stakeholders.

The power of football to inspire and bring people and communities together is a shared mission of the GFF and the Government of Guyana.

In this realm, His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali has publicly declared his support for football on several occasions in addition to calling on Corporate Guyana to support the game.

I am therefore confident that he is very proud of the performance of the team and is enjoying the successes like the rest of the nation.

I know he will see to it that our Golden Jaguars have the resources needed to adequately prepare and participate at that level.

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• CONCACAF Nations League, Golden Jaguars, president of the GFF, Rawle Toney, Wayne Forde

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