President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Troy Mendonca in a recent interview with Stabroek Sport stated that 2009 promises to be a good year for football with bigger things in store as the interest in football has grown during 2008.
“I think we (GFA) have accomplished our main goal for 2008 which was to rejuvenate the sport and get players and spectators re-interested and make further steps in developing this sport throughout the country,” Mendonca said.
“We have sparked that rivalry among clubs that causes games to be more competitive and we also have gotten team supporters to come and witness these matches in the tournaments we have successfully staged,” he said.
The GFA organized numerous football competitions in all age groups from under 11/Peewee to First Division.
He extended gratitude on behalf of the GFA to the sponsors who made the tournaments possible since the funding to successfully run them was met every time.
On the other hand Mendonca observed that “It’s evident, since we are a third world country for a lucrative sport such as football to be used at its full potential a lot of money is needed.”
He said that the GFA’s foundation last year was laid firmly so the progressing steps are the only uprights left to climb. In addition, he declared that they have a clear idea of what the weather patterns are like.
“As soon as the weather clears up we will have the resumption of the Banks Beer First Division tournament and the semi-finals and final of the under-11 Peewee competition,” the president said.
For football to rapidly progress, he noted, one needs to look at what is being taught at the nursery level of football which is age eight to thirteen and whether compulsory skills are being taught throughout the players’ football career.
“Staging competitions is also a part of the players’ development. By putting them in game situations they gain experience over time and operate more comfortably in games and this is what we are doing,” he explained.
Players from the ages of 8-13 need to focus on learning the basic skills, at 14-19 they will learn patterns of play and from then onward they will execute what they have learnt.
“This year is also the year in which we will be trying to get football into schools and making it a prominent sport which in time we hope will have a good impact on the sport in the future,” he asserted.
“For players to go through a proper foundation we need to make sure that the coaches are teaching the correct thing. In numerous clubs, you find that the coaches are persons who played football sometime ago and are very knowledgeable where the game is concerned but are not qualified certificate-wise,” Mendonca said.
“Through the help of some acquaintances we are trying as early as possible (in this year) to get these coaches educated through an English Football Association’s coaching programme which will be a Level 1 Certification,” Mendonca disclosed.
That will also entail certifying representatives from clubs in the line of physiotherapy since there has been a problem for the GFA in finding persons who could extend a helping hand in developing the sport.
He expressed regret, however, that some persons involved in the football arena have created a negative impact through their wrong interpretation of what football in Guyana is about.
He also stressed that people need to become more serious about football in Guyana because those in the football fraternity who have the resources that can help Guyana progress as a nation in football sometimes use it for all the wrong purposes.