The Guyana Football Association and a sponsor, who is to be named later, are currently working out the details for the opening of an academy for young players.
GFA’s Vice-President with responsibilities for Technical and Tactical Development, Kwabina Griffith said that it is the belief of the association that the future of the sport lies with the young players and so the identification of talent must start early in order to nurture it.
“That is going to be one of our flagship programmes for the year. The national coaches and the senior coaches keep lamenting the lack of basic skills in the players when they get to the national or senior teams. And this could only be addressed with hard work at the under-13 and under-15 levels.”
The first batch of players to attend the year-long academy, Griffith said, will be drafted from an under-13 league which will be started very soon. An announcement, he said, should be made within a week.
Already the association has identified a technical director and two coaches to work along with him.
“At the end of the competition, the technical director along with the coaches identified will select about thirty to thirty-five youths. These youths will have two to three weekend sessions per month with the coaches.”
The players, he said, would be provided with kits as the aim is to have the academy attain a very high standard.
“We are hoping to get the input of the Referees Council for someone to give some class about the laws of the game. We’re hoping to get a nutritionist to advise students on the benefits of good nutrition and eating properly. And of course the coaches will do the technical and tactical work.”
It is the hope of the association that the academy would be an annual event and they plan to follow the players as they develop in their football career.
Griffith said that the name of the sponsor will be made public at the announcement of the league, but he noted that the sponsor is committed to both the league and the academy.
According to him only few companies locally have the finances to invest in such a programme but it’s worth it.
