5 Recent GFF Stories You Need to Know about

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1902. It has maintained affiliation with governing bodies Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) as well as Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and since 1961 and 1968, respectively.

Headquartered in Georgetown, the GFF is responsible for managing and regulating football across all competition levels in Guyana. Below are five recent stories involving the GFF:

1. GDF FC Wins GFF Super 16 Cup

One of the premier football competitions in Guyana is the GFF Super 16 Cup. The annual tournament commenced on January 1, 2020 with a head-to-head match between Guyana Defense Force (GDF) FC and the Fruta Conquerors at the Georgetown Football Club ground after the two clubs defeated Guyana Police Force (GPF) FC (4–2) and Santos FC (2–1), respectively, in the semifinals.

Although the Conquerors entered the match as the favorites, GDF FC pulled off a stunning 1–0 victory thanks to an impressive display of defense and a goal scored by Benjamin Opara, who earned tournament MVP and was gifted a Honda 125cc motorcycle. GDF’s Enoch Carmichael, meanwhile, was named Most Valuable Goalkeeper. GDF won the tournament trophy and $2 million in prize money, while the Fruta Conquerors received $1 million.

GDF had plenty of opportunities to score the first goal of the match in the first half, but failed to capitalize. The team came within inches of a goal on one particular chance. Opara scored the lone goal of the match in the 57th minute. The match was attended by key dignitaries such as Former Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Minister of Sport Dr. George Norton, and GFF President Wayne Forde. Earlier in the evening, Santos FC defeated GPF FC 3–2 in extra time to claim third place in the GFF Super 16 Cup.

2. Draw Set for 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualifying

GFF President Forde was one of 41 presidents of CONCACAF member nations present at the official draw for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying matches on December 11 in Miami, Florida. Matches are determined by seeding in the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League, which was split into three separate leagues: A, B, and C. The top two finishers in each League A group earned direct entry in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup as did the first-place teams in League B groups.

Guyana, which finished second in its League B group, will play Barbados in a home-and-away series later this year. Barbados is one of four League C first-place finishers participating in qualification. The winner of the home-and-away series will face Trinidad & Tobago for the right to compete in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Guyana played in its first-ever Gold Cup in 2019 and finished in 13th place.

3. Child Protection Workshop for Coaches

Child Protection Week was celebrated from September 22 to 28 and, in commemoration of the week, GFF hosted a half-day workshop with coaches from National and Academy Training Centres. The theme of the workshop was “Promoting Social Change to Stop the Violation of Children.” It was hosted at the GFF Boardroom with support from the organization’s senior child protection officer and its legal officer.

GFF President Forde delivered an opening address at the workshop and announced that, going forward, coaches will have to complete child protection training every year to maintain their coaching license.

“As football administrators, we have a moral duty to protect children from those who may betray their trust and take advantage of them,” said Forde. “It is therefore important that we educate everyone that will come into contact with players on what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behavior.”

4. CONCACAF Professional Football Development Workshop

Another workshop held in September was the CONCACAF Professional Football Development Workshop in Panama City, Panama. The two-day workshop focused on training for the updated club licensing model on the Competition Management Expert System (COMET), CONCACAF club competition news, and infrastructure and stadium accessibility best practices.

COMET is a management system that was designed to improve the planning and execution of CONCACAF football operations. Guyana’s representative at the workshop was Club Licensing Manager and Acting General Secretary Ian Alves.

5. Partnership with Capelli Sport

In August 2019, GFF signed a four-year contract with Capelli Sport for the sportswear manufacturer to serve as its official equipment, apparel, and uniform provider. The company recently provided uniforms for the Guyana senior men’s team during its recent Gold Cup campaign. The new agreement means Capelli will also outfit Guyana’s women’s and youth national teams, including U-20, U-17, and U-15.

Those teams will also receive access to Capelli-owned gyms, training fields, and office spaces when playing in the USA or Europe. Guyana players will also receive increased exposure via the facilitation of scouting opportunities.

GFF President Forde called the contract “ground-breaking” for Guyana and stated it will have significant impact on the development of the sport in the country. He credited the Golden Jaguars appearance in the 2019 Gold Cup as a major reason why Capelli was interested in partnering with the GFF.