Wayne Dover, Guyana’s former Senior Men’s National Team Coach, has been named Head Coach of the National Under-20 team as preparations begin for Guyana’s participation in the 2018 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship in Florida, USA, from November 1 – 22, 2018.
Other members of the 14-man squad are Assistant Coach Oneal Heywood; Striker Coach, Gregory Richardson; In-Possession Coach, Vurlon Mills; Out-of-Possession Coach, Anthony Benfield; Goalkeeper Coach, Phillip Carrington and Coach Developer & Head of Sports Science, Wilson Toledo.
The others are Team Doctor, Physiotherapist, Head of People and Culture, Performanace Analyst and Head Scout, Team Operations Coordinator and Equipment Manager.
“We have a talented combination of staff tasked with preparing players for the upcoming U20 championships but with the ultimate goal of pushing players into the Senior Golden Jaguars squad,” said Technical Director, Ian Greenwood.
“There is clear alignment with the senior team’s campaign in the Nations League and the key messages to be delivered to the Under-20 players. The staffing structure allows players to receive position-specific coaching on the various moments of the game, with specialist coaches delivering the national coaching and playing philosophy. The wealth of international playing experience among the staff is vital as we prepare this current crop of exciting and talented young players. There is a clear pathway for national team players to engage in a career in coaching which is now clearly evident.”
In an invited comment, Dover said he is happy to contribute to the development of such a crucial group in Guyana’s football: “I’m happy and excited about the appointment so I thank the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for their continued faith in me as a coach. They have seen the importance of having me involved in the development of Guyana’s football and I’ll try to do my very best to help that process. Being appointed the Head Coach will give me that opportunity and I’ll work diligently with the group for the best possible results we could achieve over that period.”
While the players’ squad will be announced in the new week, Dover said the squad will be crucial to inform the senior team: “The Under-20 group of players, we can safely say, is our golden generation of footballers; hence there will be a very careful process by the GFF to harness this group of players who definitely will form the senior national team in the not-too-distant future. This team will augur well for the projection that the GFF has for the 2026 World Cup campaign.”
Guyana’s match schedule in the first round is as follows:
- November 2 vs Guatemala, 10:30h
- November 6 vs Cayman Islands, 10:30h
- November 8 vs Curacao, 12:45h
- November 10 vs El Salvador, 19:45h
