The Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Kool Kidz Grassroots programme kicked off on Saturday, as the GFF and Guyana Beverage Company Inc. joined forces to offer free, weekly football sessions with professional coaching and healthy refreshments for boys and girls across Guyana.
GFF-Kool Kidz Grassroots sessions will take place every weekend in the GFF’s nine member associations – Georgetown, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara, West Coast Demerara, Berbice, Bartica, Upper Demerara, Rupunini and Essequibo/Pomeroon.
Parents will be informed of the location and timings of each session in the national media and via the GFF’s Facebook page.
The early years programme is a central pillar of the GFF’s football development strategy as the organisation builds a sustainable foundation to establish football as the nation’s number one sport, to increase the available pool of talent and to teach young players the basic skills they need to excel in the beautiful game.
“The GFF-Kool Kidz Grassroots programme can transform the future of our football. We call on all parents to bring their children out to enjoy these free weekly sessions in a safe, professional environment,” said GFF President Wayne Forde at the Georgetown session, held at the Roxanne Burnham Gardens playfield.
“We are extremely proud to partner with Guyana Beverage. This kind of support from corporate Guyana is vital to develop football for all.”
Raymond Govinda, Brand Manager at Guyana Beverage Company Inc., said, “We are excited to be part of this development of our young kids – it’s an example of our commitment to the development of human capital in Guyana. We are happy to invest in our children – the future of Guyana.”
Grassroots football programmes provide age-appropriate sessions for 5-12 year olds in safe and fun environment with trained GFF coach-educators.
Grassroots is a common term used in football for early years participation, with a special focus on having fun and learning basic techniques with small-sided games.
“A regular grassroots programme is a vital component in any successful national football development strategy,” said GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood. “We want to greatly increase the number of boys and girls playing football to broaden the pool of talent available for our national teams. We are officially on the look out for Guyana’s next Messi or Carli Lloyd!”
In Georgetown, boys and girls were put through their paces by men’s national team player and Georgetown Technical Development Officer Vurlon Mills, national goalkeeper coach Eon Deviera and women’s national team player Lakeisha Pearson.
“In my time, I didn’t have an opportunity like this to have a grassroots programme where I could develop my skills and talent from an early age,” Mills said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to come and enjoy football from this young age.”
