Football is a very popular sport in the West Demerara area and it’s the vision of the organization to see the game really develop in the region, stated coach Gordon `Ultimate Warrior’ Braithwaite.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport, the charismatic mentor shared the reasons behind his recent move to the ‘West Side’ to coach new kids on the block, Slingerz Football Club.
“First of all for basic needs I will be financially compensated for my services. Having been working in football for all my life and not getting paid, as a football volunteer it tear up my life because of the financial burden I incurred. This opportunity affords me the chance to work with people also that are sincerely interested in football and coupled with the vision shared by both the establishment and I, we have a great opportunity to develop football in the country.
It’s a chance for me to develop the football and it’s a good situation for me financially because I am getting paid for my services. Coaches do suffer a great deal in Guyana and I have been doing this thing for free for too long”.
Pressed about the aspirations and goals that will be set for the team, coach Braithwaite declared that “CFU and CONCACAF are the competitions I want the team to be a part of. I competed in the event when I was a young Pele player and I would like the opportunity to participate as an experienced coach. Currently Alpha does fairly well in the affair and I would want to emulate and even better their showing. Every team in any part of the world does want to be the best in their jurisdiction and beyond and that’s what we are striving to achieve”.
Coach Braithwaite further pronounced that the recent transfer window and his club’s acquisition of certain individuals was not down to his club targeting anyone specific but simply players wanting to get involved.
“We didn’t target anyone, people target us. A lot of the top players heard about this initiative and wanted to get on board. I am a coach that is a true developer and facilitator of young talent and this is evident by the amount of senior players in the respective Georgetown and National Squads that came under my tutelage. Our unit is composed of a few senior players with a mixture of young talent. I didn’t target anyone, they asked me to come. I don’t have to go after players, I am a developer and not a game manager; I am a coach and technical director. We don’t have big players in our squad, it’s players I have to groom for them to become a team and my propensity has always been to work with young non-established talents.”
Quizzed on the impact of Slingerz coming into the fold and what it means for football in totality, the frank Coach stated that he hopes this initiative can have a tremendous impact on the game and help to develop and promote its growth.
“I am hoping that we can make a really positive impact by raising the level of football in the West Demerara area and in Guyana as a whole. If my team does what I hope they gonna do and play the way I want them to play, then we are going to be a very good unit and gonna make the other clubs better simply by osmosis which in turn will develop their drive to want to play and defeat us. I am a very committed coach and take my job very seriously and will work even harder to see this project progress and advance”.
