The National female basketball team’s trip to Antigua, which was scheduled as part of preparations for their participation in next year’s CARICOM Basketball Championships has been cancelled. This is according to one of the Vice presidents of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Floyd Levi.
When contacted via telephone yesterday, Levi explained that the team’s excursion to Antigua, where they were slated to participate in the 11th Annual Gillian Brazier Basketball Shoot-Out for females from November 24 – 28 has been cancelled due to financial constraints.
The national female team was unable to participate in the tournament in the past couple of years due to financial constraints and this year seems to be no different.
In an interview with Stabroek News earlier this month, president of the GABF David Patterson had stated that the GABF has already confirmed the participation of the national female team and the registration fee of US$150 plus US$25 performance bond has been submitted to organizers.
Patterson had further explained that following the fundraisers such as raffles and cake sales which were held to raise funds for the trip, the GABF would’ve covered the rest of the total cost of the tickets. Since Patterson was unavailable to comment when reached by Stabroek Sport, because he was engaged “in a meeting”, Levi was contacted and commented on behalf of the federation on the circumstances surrounding the trips cancellation.
“I can’t get into too much details, but there was not sufficient funding to take the entire team” Levi said.
“We [The GABF] only raised enough to take five players and we wanted to take eight” Levi added.
He explained that it “doesn’t make sense” taking a five-member team to compete in the competition, since the team wouldn’t have any members on the side line if a substitution is required.
According to Levi, the decision to cancel the trip was delayed since the GABF was determining whether anyone else would come on board and offer financial support for the female team’s outing.
However finding aid for the team’s plight was unsuccessful so the decision was made to cancel.
Levi added that the players have not yet been informed of the cancellation, but the team’s coach, Mark Agard is already aware and the players will be informed shortly. Agard was also confident as to the female team’s participation when contacted by Stabroek Sport earlier this month.
He had stated that the last time the senior female national team left Guyana to compete overseas was approximately three years ago when they participated in the same tournament in Antigua and placed second after they lost in the final to one of Antigua’s senior female teams.
