Following their 3 – 2 win over Santos in the final of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Cup on January 1 at the Providence National Stadium, newly formed Slingerz Football Club is still jubilant.
Head coach and former national skipper Charles ‘Lilly’ Pollard has dedicated the team’s victory to the club’s owner and financier Javid Ali.
The genesis of the club is a dream which Ali had which was to simply create Guyana’s best football club, a title currently held by Politician Odinga Lumuba’s Alpha United.
With advice from experienced and well qualified personnel within the football fraternity, Slingerz FC was created.
The name, `Slingerz’ was already famous and vastly popular within Guyana’s entertainment realms.
“Without a doubt we had to win this tournament for Mr. Javid Ali. He’s what I call a Mr. Everything where money is concerned for the club. He makes it all happen and therefore winning is the least we could’ve done to make him and his efforts feel appreciated,” Pollard said in the euphoria of the team’s title winning run.
“I think the win will encourage him to invest a bit more into the programme, but more importantly, I hope it would also encourage other businesses and people to do the same,” he added.
Pollard is one of Guyana’s most decorated player, having won basically everything local football has to offer and doing the same in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’s professional league.
This is his first stint since turning coach last June and, apart from winning the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) League, November last, his other major triumph.
“This, personally, is a major accomplishment. It’s an entirely differently feeling now that I’m a coach. I think also though I need to say thank you to the guys. I played with most of them on the national team and I was their captain, so I think from the beginning we had a high level of respect and understanding for each other, which makes it easy for me to impart my knowledge and set up a game plan,” the former national captain said.
Looking ahead, Pollard pointed out the club will be taking two weeks off to rest and enjoy a holiday given the fact that they have been busy all year. He also mentioned the club’s youthful approach to the 2014 season while noting that competing within the Caribbean is also atop his agenda.
“We want to invest in the youths this year bringing some fresh faces to the club,” Pollard said.
“It’s always important to have a youth structure as well. I think it would go well for what we have planned. Also, we want to compete out of Guyana maybe as far as CONCACAF but as it is right now, this is not the end, it’s just the beginning of what Javid (Ali) is looking for and that’s to be the best club in the country. It’s not going to be easy and I think we are prepared to work hard,” he declared.
