With their campaign in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship slated for April, Fruta Conquerors General Secretary Daniel Thomas sat down with Stabroek Sport to discuss the club’s preparation for the regional championship. The Tucville-based outfit earned the right to represent the nation at the CFU tournament after winning the Guyana Football Federation’s Elite League Championship. The interview follows:
1. What does it mean for the club to compete at the CFU level and how important is the tournament to the club’s development?
“It has been a dream for our club to be able to compete at this, the highest level of soccer in the Caribbean region, and even though it’s a Tier II championship, it still gives our club the opportunity to be recognised by virtue of our mere presence to showcase our talent to the world.
“The tournament is very important to the club’s development as we pride ourselves on our youth structure, and the importance that we’ve placed over the years in developing our youth players. Our coaches have made a concerted effort in integrating a number of our U-20 players into our senior/elite team and because of this, a number of them have been able to raise the levels of their game and thus affording them a chance to represent Guyana at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships last year in Miami, and some even being called to the Senior National Team.”
2. Given that the club is relatively new to the Caribbean level, what is the realistic aim of the team in the tournament?
“We view our chances very favourably. Our greatest threat shall be we of ourselves and what I mean by that is that winning takes some amount of pride, effort and determination. The desire to give 110 per cent effort every time that you are on the field tells us how much success you would want for yourself and club.
“As such, we are hoping that the players do have that desire and are willing to put in the required hours of training to ensure that at the end of each and every game all of our fans, sponsors and the whole of Guyana can feel proud of our performance on the pitch.”
3. What is the current status of the team’s preparation?
“We have made efforts towards ensuring that the team is prepared; we have partnered with the Guyana Football Federation’s Technical Department through Mr Greenwood and we have been able to secure the services of the Brazilian Coach Mr Wilson Toledo whose purpose and primary goal is to raise the levels of fitness of the players. Also, arrangements are being put in place to use the experiences of a number of our senior national coaches for them to come and work in specific areas of play and Head Coach Sampson Gilbert is working on ensuring that materialises.”
4. Following the non-appearance of the GDF in the previous Caribbean tournament due to financial constraints, has the club secured the necessary funding to avoid an identical embarrassment?
“That is one of our major areas of concern at the moment. I’m sure that the Federation would not want an occurrence of such a situation again for any local club out of Guyana. We have been working closely with them, so they are aware of our challenges.
“For us, this is a glorious moment for our sponsor, the Guyana Beverage Company Incorporated, to fully support our club; but they too have their financial challenges. But, we are open to accessing additional sponsorship. We have written to a few sponsors with the hope that they would come on board and support us. There are a number of new areas that we would have to cover financially, and we would really appreciate the help of any corporate sponsor.”
5. Has the GFF aided the club financially and technically in their preparation?
“As I did mention earlier, the GFF has always supported the club over the years, and yes they have lent us their technical expertise and I’m quite sure that they shall aid us once we approach them for financial assistance where possible.”
“However, on behalf of the executive committee, we do make this public plea to all corporate sponsors to get on board and do support us, we are looking at companies such as the Lottery Company through their new game Super Bet, and others.”
