The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Saturday held its Ordinary Congress at the National Training Centre, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, where it signalled its intent to increase the funding of the Members Financial Assistance Programme (MFAP), following a 25% increase in the FIFA Forward 3.0 funding mechanism.
The rise in funding for the FIFA programme was announced at the world governing body’s 2022 Congress in March. The aforementioned was confirmed by an official release from the federation.
According to the correspondence, the two areas that are likely to attract the increased funding via the MFAP programme are competitions and infrastructure, with emphasis on the maintenance and upgrading of venues.
“The M-FAP increase will be factored into the GFF’s 2023 budget and presented at an Extraordinary Congress later this year, alongside the result of the recently announced revision to the GFF statutes, which is being conducted at the request and under the guidance of FIFA and Concacaf”, the release stated.
The correspondence also stated that the GFF’s 2021 financial report, which was audited by Chartered Accountancy firm, Ram and McRae, was also approved by the membership. The report will be shared with the Government of Guyana.
GFF President Wayne Forde said, “We are determined to increase the funding for our pioneering M-FAP programme. This will mean more financial resources, as well as technical and logistical support for our members across Guyana, so that they can accelerate their efforts to stage competitions and improve playing conditions for all.”
He added, “The GFF is committed to good governance, transparency and accountability. We see the auditing, member approval, and publication of our financial report as a key pillar in strengthening the image of sports governance in Guyana and delivering on our mandate.”
The new FIFA Forward 3.0 programme will see an increase of 25 per cent in funding, giving FIFA member associations access to subsidies of around US$8 million over the four-year period starting from 2023, as long as specific criteria are met.
The MFAP system operates in a similar manner, requiring strict conditions to be achieved or met for its members to receive full funding and support quotas. The increase in MFAP funding will aid in improving the maintenance and upgrade of football facilities across Guyana, as well as the staging of more youth and senior competitions for male and female categories.
“We understand that our members need support to deliver this quantity of football. Through M-FAP, we are able to ensure the football community has everything required to rapidly increase participation in the sport across all age groups for male and female players,” Forde added.
In terms of the current MFAP programme, $600,000 annually is pencilled for admin operations for Regional Associations, while affiliates are entitled to $500,000 each per year for a development project. Similarly, Elite League clubs can access $400,000 each per year for equipment and development.
Also, on an annual basis, each regional association will also receive 100 footballs, 100 cones, 100 training hurdles and 100 bibs. Every two years, regional associations will receive two sets of senior home and away kit and two sets of junior home and away kit, for males and females. This equipment is intended to support the proper running of the GFF Academy Training Centres, and other development competitions and activities. The regional association will also receive funding for its senior men’s and women’s leagues and boys and girls competitions.
