The year of 2017 can be described as dramatic for the football fraternity both on and off the field. Below features a timeline of the major highlights of the aforementioned year.
January
A dramatic Robin Adams winner in the 90th+3 minute earned Silver Shattas the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA)/GT Beer Championship, edging Eagles 1-0 on the 1st at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground.
Following an interview process held during the month of October 2016, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially appointed former Georgetown Football Association (GFA) secretary Althea Scipio as its new General Secretary on the 9th. Scipio, who entered the often tumultuous world of Guyana’s football under the Clifton Hickens GFA administration, replaced Diedre Davis whose services were terminated on the 22nd of June 2016
After months of uncertainty, regional confederation CONCACAF on the 9th ruled that Stag Beer Elite League winner Slingerz FC and runners-up Alpha United were ineligible to participate in the CFU Club Championship. The two clubs alongside Pele FC and Georgetown Football Club (GFC) withdrew from the second season of the Elite League after being at loggerheads over several issues with the GFF.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) announced that the entity would be searching for a National Women’s Coach on the 25th.
February
Western Tigers roared past arch-rival Santos by a 3-0 scoreline, to clinch the Stag-Nations Cup on the 3rd at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda
The 5th edition of the Milo U18 Secondary Schools Football Championship was launched on the 6th at the Beepat Headquarters in Dennis Street.
With an emphasis placed on youth development, the GFF launched the Scotiabank Academy Training Centres (ATC) on the 8th at the Umana Yana, Main Street
Fruta Conquerors celebrated their 35th anniversary on the 14th.
Fruta Conquerors were crowned the inaugural Turbo Energy Drink U19 Academy Football League Champions, overcoming Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 2-1 on the 15th at the Tucville ground
Defending champion Showstoppers successfully retained their Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West Demerara/East Bank Demerara zone title, blanking budding rival Hustlers 2-0 on the 16th at the Pouderoyen Tarmac.
Guyana competed at the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in The Bahamas on the 20th, finishing in the 12th position out of 16 teams. Lindener Jamal Haynes was crowned the Scotiabank Best Young Player of the event after scoring six goals.
March
Guyana competed in the Tournoi Paul Chillan Football Championship in Martinique, finishing with a record win and two loses. They also received the Tournament’s Fair Play Award
A 19th minute Colin Nelson freekick secured Western Tigers the Petra Organization/Limacol Football Championship, edging the Guyana Police Force (GPF) by a 1-0 score line on the 4th at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.
Den Amstel was crowned the Den Amstel Mash Cup Knockout Champions, humbling Uitvlugt by a 5-2 scoreline on the 11th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were crowned the GFF ‘League Leaders’ Knockout Champion and the National Women’s Developmental League winner on the 12th. The army men defeated Fruta Conquerors 2-0 while the women edged Paiwomak Warriors by an identical margin.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani arrived on local shores for his inaugural visit on the 13th, launching the Pele/Frank Watson Memorial U15 Intra-Association Tournament
In an effort to improve the quality of officiating, the Guyana Football Referees Council (GFRC) staged a FIFA Fitness Test on the 18th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora
New Amsterdam (NA) Kings ascended to the throne in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Berbice Zone, defeating East Bank Gunners 1-0 in the finale on the 25th at the NA Ferry Stelling Tarmac.
Guyana’s winless run in international football continued on the 28th as, they laboured to an uninspiring 0-0 draw with CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifier Martinique at the Mackenzie Sport Club (MSC) ground in Linden.
April
Chase Academy secured their third consecutive Milo Football Championship, edging Morgan Learning Center (MLC) 3-2 on penalty kicks on the 8th at the Ministry of Education ground.
History was created on the 10th as, FIFA President Giovanni Infantino alongside GFF Boss Wayne Forde and Minister within the Ministry of Education Nicolette Henry, officially ‘turned the sod’ on the Providence Community ground, which will serve as, the country’s first FIFA ‘Forward Programme’ facility. The ceremony occurred minutes after the arrival of the FIFA President for his inaugural visit to Guyana.
The Disciplinary Committee ruled on the 14th that the GFF did not have the constitutional authority to amend tournaments that fall under its jurisdiction.
Sparta Boss downed Back Circle 5-2 to secure the Petra Organization Futsal Championship on the 16th at the National Gymnasium.
Melanie-B were crowned the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ East Coast of Demerara Champion, edging Plaisance-B by a 1-0 scoreline at the Haslington Market Tarmac on the 16th
Also on the 16th, Uitvlugt Warriors were crowned the Super-4 Massive Easter Football Champions, edging Eagles FC of Stewartville by a 2-1 margin at the Den Amstel Community Centre ground, West Demerara.
According to documents seen by Stabroek Sports, the disciplinary committee which was headed by attorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin and comprised Dr. Clement McEwan, Natasha Vieira and Whittington Braithwaite, ruled on April 14th that “The constitution can only be amended by the Congress and the Executive Committee has no authority to unilaterally amend the constitution in any manner whatsoever. The amendment to increase the Elite League from eight members to 10 members was ultra vires the powers of the Executive Committee and is unlawful.”
In an effort to improve the preparation for impending international assignments, the GFF launched their National Training Camp schedule on the 21st. The training programme, which was being supervised by Technical Director Ian Greenwood, consisted of the Boys u13 and u15 teams, Girls u17 outfit as well as the Golden Jaguars senior squad and Lady Jaguars unit respectively.
Claude Williams, 1st Vice President of the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), served as, the entity’s Interim President, following a no-confidence motion enacted against incumbent Sharma Solomon on April 22nd
Former Lady Jaguars captain and Fruta Conquerors Assistant Coach Tricia Munroe, was appointed by the GFF as a Women’s Development Officer on the 24th.
Silvercity Alleys and Valleys were crowned the Linden ‘Stag Bowl’ Inter-Ward Football Championship, edging Block 22 by a 1-0 scoreline on the 26th at the Mackenzie Sport Club (MSC) ground.
May
Thomas United were crowned the Easter Classic Masters Football Champion, edging Wales FC by a 2-1 scoreline on the 1st at the Tucville Community Centre ground.
International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on the 3rd, officially declared that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Disciplinary Committee’s mandate does not give it the authority to rule against the executive committee of the federation on the matter of league expansion. The Disciplinary Committee had ruled that the GFF did not have the constitutional authority to amend tournaments that fall under its jurisdiction.
Dave and Celina All-Stars were crowned the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Linden Champion on the 7th.
GDF clinched the GFF Stag Beer Elite League Season 2 title on the 8th, after defeating Topp XX 4-1 at the Tucville Community Ground.
The Rupununi Football Association (RFA) in partnership with the GFF staged a Referees Beginners Course at Lethem, Region #9 on the 10th.
Elite Referee Gladwyn Johnson represented Guyana at the CONCACAF Targeted Advanced Referee Programme (TARP) from May 11th-14th in Dallas, Texas, United States of America.
Terrence Mitchell was elected to the top post of the UDFA, following an electoral congress staged on the 13th at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) Building. He replaced Interim President Claude Williams.
Kristian Heames, coach of the Finland-based FF Jaro club, staged a Talent Assessment Program at the No. #5 ground, West Coast Berbice on the 17th.
Christianburg/Wismar clinched the Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond u18 title, defeating New Silver City 3-1 on the 18th at the Wisburg Secondary School ground
The GFF in collaboration with CONCACAF, staged a ‘Club Licensing Seminar’ on the 20th at the National Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue.
Fruta Conquerors Football Club (FCFC) tabled a motion to be presented at the GFF congress on the May 27th, mandating that an investigation be launched into the infamous switched Mexico FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifier.
The GFF staged its Ordinary Congress on the 27th at the Park View Hotel, East Bank of Demerara. However the event was marred by the alleged issuing of an injunction halting the payment of prize monies for the Elite League by disgruntled members from Slingerz FC and Alpha United.
Digicel launched their 7th Annual Schools Football Championship on the 30th at the West Demerara Secondary School.
June
Guyana clinched their 1st CFU sanctioned youth tournament, defeating hosts St. Martin 1-0 to claim the Soualiga Invitational Championship. Guyana ended the event with four wins and two scoreless draws (Guadeloupe and Barbados) in six matches.
Wayne Williams was elected the new president of East Bank Football Association (EBFA) club Grove Hi-Tech on the 5th.
The GFF via an official release on the 15th, revealed they had commenced the integration process of the two clubs into the Georgetown Football Club, following their relegation from the Elite League.
The Guyana Futsal Association (GFA) commenced the registration process for clubs on the 26th.
Riverview won the inaugural Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Bartica Zone on the 27th, edging Police 1-0 on penalty kicks.
July
The UDFA in partnership with GT Beer commenced the Intra-Association Football Championship on Sunday 9th at the Mackenzie Sports Club, Linden.
Linden champion Dave and Celina’s All-Stars were the new Street Football Kings, crushing Hustlers 4-1 on Saturday 16th in the final of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championship at the Demerara Park Tarmac.
Chase Academy successfully retained their Digicel Schools Football Championship, crushing Annai 6-2 on Sunday 30th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. With the win, Chase Academy became the second school to win the event in consecutive years (2016-2017), following Christianburg/Wismar’s four consecutive titles spanning 2012-2015.
August
Guyana U17 Girls team competed in the CONCACAF U17 Qualifying Championship from the 9th-13th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. The Guyanese finished in the cellar position following a 5-1 loss to Barbados and an 8-0 defeat to Cuba.
Guyana also took part in the CONCACAF Boys U15 Championship in Florida, USA. Guyana recorded a lone win in the event, defeating St. Lucia 1-0. A 1-1 draw with St. Kitts and Nevis, a 3-1 loss to Suriname and a 6-5 defeat on sudden death penalty kicks to Puerto Rico [1-1 at fulltime] illustrated their campaign.
GFF in conjunction with FIFA staged a Referees Assistance Programme (RAP) on the 23rd.
September
Ol Skool Ballers ‘Cinderella Story’ in the Guinness Cage/Three Peat Promotions Indoor Football Championship had the perfect ending, dismissing Future Stars 3-1 in the grand finale on Saturday 16th.
Guyana Police Force (GPF) secured the inaugural Corona Beer Invitational Football Championship, arresting Georgetown Football Club (GFC) by a 4-0 scoreline on Sunday 17th in a lopsided final.
The GFF formally launched the start of the FIFA Forward Project Phase one on the 26th.
The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) officially launched their CONCACAF D-Licence programme on the 28th at the Olympic House, Liliendaal.
October
Guyana’s poor international record against Grenada continued on the 7th, as they went down 1-0 in an International Friendly at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium in St. James, Grenada.
Future Stars secured the coveted Street Vibes Entertainment ‘National Futsal Championship’, dismissing Gold is Money by a 4-1 scoreline on Wednesday at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue on the 18th.
Tourney hosts Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) was crowned the inaugural GT Beer Intra-Association Football Champion, dismantling West Demerara 3-0 on the 18th at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground, Linden.
Milerock clinched the UDFA leg of the NAMILCO u17 Football League on the 19th, while Fruta Conquerors secured the GFA zone title on the 30th.
November
Three members from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Developmental Department, participated in the inaugural CONCACAF, “Train the Trainer Programme” on November 1st in Barbados. The programme was attended by Technical Director Ian Greenwood, Youth Development Officer Bryan Joseph and Technical Development Officer (Georgetown ATC) & Secretary of the Coaches Association, Sampson Gilbert.
It was the Ian Daniels show, as West Ruimveldt secured the 2017 Courts Pee Wee Primary School Football Championship, outclassing 2012 champion Marian Academy 4-0 on the 11th at the Thirst Park ground.
Fruta Conquerors were crowned the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) ‘Big Four Champions’, edging Elite League winner, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) 1-0 on the 12th at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora.
Guyana’s winless run on the International Football circuit continued on the 14th as they battled to a 1-1 draw with home side Trinidad and Tobago at the Ato Bolton Stadium.
Guyana’s search for their first win of 2017 in international football continued, as they lost to host nation Indonesia 2-1 on the 25th in an International Friendly at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Indonesia.
Defending champion Guyana Police Force (GPF) successfully retained their Hamilton Green Football Championship, edging Winners Connection 1-0 on the 30th at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC), Linden.
December
Den Amstel successfully retained the Derick Josiah Memorial Football Championship, defeating Pouderoyen FC on penalty kicks on the 1st at the Den Amstel ground.
Region #1 moved one step closer in becoming a Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Member Association, following the installation of a ‘Steering Committee’ on the 2nd at the Moruca Sub-District.
Camptown FC was crowned the inaugural Turbo Energy Drink Knockout Football Champion, upsetting the Guyana Police Force (GPF) 1-0 on the 3rd at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
The inaugural Guyana Football Federation (GFF) ‘Super 16 Year-end Classic’ was officially launched on the 9th at the federation’s headquarters in Section-K, Campbellville.
In a reported effort to regulate and control football, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has engaged the support of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to ensure permits for tournaments are only granted following the GFF’s approval.
South Ruimveldt was crowned the Smalta Girls Pee Wee Football Champions, dethroning champion St. Angela’s 2-0 on the 16th at the Ministry of Education ground.
The Guyana Football Federation’s 2016 audited financial statements, was officially approved by the general council on the 16th, following a 17-0 majority vote, at its Extraordinary Congress at the National Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue.
Gold is Money ascended to the throne of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown Championship, dethroning defending champion Sparta Boss 1-0 in a dream finale on the 16th at the Demerara Park Tarmac.
Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Disciplinary Committee Sanjeev Datadin, was officially removed from his post and replaced by Dr. Roger Yearwood, on the 16th at the federation’s Extraordinary Congress.
Andrea Johnson was elected president of the National Association for Women’s Football (NAWF), following their electoral congress on the 16th at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Boardroom.
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Executive Committee member Keith O’Jeer, was elected as President of the Berbice Football Association (BFA), when the entity staged its Extraordinary Congress on the 17th.
The New Era Entertainment/Mohamed Enterprise Futsal Championship, was jointly awarded to NK Ballers and Hard-Knocks/Board Money on Tuesday, following a combination of heavy rainfall and crowd encroachment at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Hard-Court, Linden on the 26th.
In what can only be described as embarrassing, Top Brandz Distributors under its Corona Beer brand, severed ties with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Year-end Football Classic. The primary decision for the company rescinding it’s involvement with the tournament, occurred after the two entities failed in their attempts to solicit the services of Jamaican dancehall artiste Popcaan, for the January 1st finale.
