GFF, UEFA kick off journey to first professional league
-on maiden List A half century
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Europe’s governing entity, UEFA, has commenced the process to facilitate the creation of the first professional league on local shores, which forms part of the latter’s Assist Development Programme.
This is, according to a release from the federation. According to the correspondence, discussions have occurred virtually between officials of both entities to outline the necessary teams, steps and protocols which will guide the implementation of the programme, as Guyana aims to become the fifth member of CFU to have a professional establishment.
Presently, the quartet of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have Concacaf classified professional leagues within the CFU region. The pioneering league development project is fully supported by Concacaf, the local governing confederation.
Eva Pasquier, Head of International Relations at UEFA said, “This is the latest pillar in an increasingly strong partnership between the UEFA Assist programme and the Guyana Football Federation. The federation has impressed the UEFA team from the beginning with its unwavering commitment to delivering excellence in football.”
According to Pasquier, “We are excited about the impact this current initiative could have for Guyana. We believe there is real scope for a sustainable, marketable professional league that will help to propel its football development forward,” she said. “This means building capacity within the federation, so that it can develop longer-term relationships with sponsors, while preparing clubs, players, coaches, match officials and fans for the journey. Our aim through this programme is to support
the federation in putting these allimportant building blocks in place.”
GFF President Wayne Forde said, “Creating the first professional league in Guyana will be a truly historic moment for our nation and a real statement of intent for the future. We are excited to begin this journey with UEFA as we put the foundations in place to develop a strong league model that can thrive in our specific conditions. The realisation of this long-held dream will require a national team effort, including the support of our members as well as partners from corporate Guyana and the Government of Guyana. However, once in place, the league will propel our football forward like never before and offer genuine opportunity for young Guyanese talent to flourish, both at home and overseas.”
In order to prepare the ground for fully professional football, a range of capacity building is required, from marketing development and infrastructure to club
Wayne Forde licensing, coach education and governance. The UEFA Assist team will draw on decades of knowhow from European leagues to help the GFF equip itself and its members for the task ahead.
Forde further said, “For those unfamiliar with the concept of a professional league, this is a competition where all players are paid ‘living wage’ salaries, which enable them to engage as full-time athletes, most commonly either contracted to independent, financially-sustainable clubs under the European model or within a commercially-viable franchise under the US model.
“While recent but unsustainable attempts at semi-professional or subsidised models for leagues and teams, as well as the progress by some clubs under the Concacaf Club License system, have tested the waters in Guyana, those achievements have sadly fallen well short of creating a much-needed professional league. We look forward to working with all our stakeholders to explain the crucial difference and why it matters for the future of Guyanese football and our young talent, so that we can make this long-held dream a credible reality together”, he added.
Meanwhile, ONE Concacaf and Caribbean Project Senior Manager Howard McIntosh said, “There are only four CFU members with professional football leagues. For Guyana to become one of the approved professional leagues would be a fitting legacy for the Forde-led administration and position the country for faster development in football and more success at international level.”
He further said, “A professional league in Guyana will provide the pathway for players, match officials and coaches to reach their full potential and to have access to full-time careers in the game, whether at home or overseas. In its focus on football development and good governance, the GFF has led by example in the Caribbean region and we are all excited to see the fruits of this ground-breaking project unfold in the coming years.”
The establishment of a fully professional league in Guyana, following the Concacaf league professionalisation roadmap, enables the national champion and resulting runner-up to qualify each season for the Concacaf Club Championship, the Caribbean’s premier club tournament. The aforesaid event also offers a direct path to the Concacaf Champions League.
At the moment, the Elite League, Guyana’s leading club event, is classified as non-professional, with the respective champion only being automatically eligible to compete in the second-tier Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield.
Guyana Jaguars’ all-rounder Romario Shepherd made his mark on the CG Insurance Regional Super50 with a maiden half century and is hopeful this is the first of many.
The 26-year-old right hander came in at number eight and hammered two sixes and half a dozen fours on his way to 58 not out from 52 balls.
After the match, the New Amsterdam native told Stabroek Sport, “Well is my first in list A so it meant a lot to me hopefully the first of many,” he said of the knock which eventually earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.
Shepherd came in with his team at 143 for six at the half way stage but backed his ability to get the job done.
“I said to myself if I can bat to the end with Hetty [Shimron Hetmyer], we can still get 300 the way he was going but when he got out I had to take things into my own hands and try to bat all the overs,” he recalled.
Shepherd said that when Hetmyer got out, he was “disappointed he didn’t get a 100 or even a double the way he was going…I think his innings was a really good one the way he kept going [because] even though they were getting wickets our scoring rate was always up.”
Hetmyer raced to 80 from 52 balls, laced with four sixes and eight fours but was caught by Ashley Nurse off of Jason Holder.
Importantly, Shepherd added 92 with the final four wickets for the Jaguars and in the process getting his side to a respectable total.
Shepherd added 35 for the 10th wicket partnership alongside Gudakesh Motie and 23 for the last wicket with Nial Smith.
“Well I know Motie is capable with the bat so I had faith in him that he would manage to back himself and get some runs but I just think the single with Smith I exposed him a bit too early especially knowing that it was Holder’s last over too,” he explained. With the 56-run (DLS method) over Barbados, the West Indies all-rounder feels the team is off to a good start.
“With the tournament so short it is key to start well and against a team like Barbados it is a good start…”