The idea of establishing a national football league should be revisited
Dear Editor,
I refer to an article in SN (24.5.08), captioned ‘Alpha to represent Guyana at Cope de Guiana’s tournament’ by Calvin Roberts, where in paragraph one it is stated, “National Champions Alpha ‘the Hammer’ United by virtue of topping the league in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) 2006/2007 Cellink Plus sponsored Premier League competition has been chosen to represent Guyana at the Cope de Guiana’s football tournament scheduled for French Guiana from June 4-9.”
Meanwhile no mention was made of Alpha’s dominance in the 2007/2008 Kashif and Shanghai knockout where they emerged champions, defeating Bakewell Topp XX by a 1-0 margin in the final.
The sad but harsh reality, however, is that within Guyana there is no competition which is truly reflective of a club being crowned as national club champions. In addition, the Mayor’s Cup, Fruta Football Festival and the recently added Sweet 16 Knockout tournaments – the yardstick for the selection of teams – are mostly invitational.
Finally, in wishing the best of the success to Alpha on their historical undertaking, I must implore that the idea of establishing a national league needs to be reviewed, even if it entails starting with eight teams consisting of participants from the associations of Georgetown, East Coast, Berbice, Upper Demerara and West Demerara. The format of play would entail each team playing each other twice in two rounds on a home and away basis. While transportation costs along with accommodation and meals may prove costly in the interim, tangible sponsorship, adequate advertisement and efficient gate management can make the competition a success.
Yours faithfully,
Lester Sealey