By Akeem Greene
Ryan Hackett of Fruta Conquerors, Kelsey Benjamin of Georgetown Football Club and Sese Norville of Milerock FC in Linden are the beneficiaries of a one-month stint with Brazilian second-division club Madureira Esporte Clube.
The trio has been part of the senior national Golden Jaguars set-up, and will be exposed to another level of training over a four-week period with the possibility of landing a Pro-Contract based on their performances during the period of exposure.
According to Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President, Wayne Forde, in an exclusive interview with News Room Sport this week, it is just the tip of the iceberg regarding player exposure.
“We have an active group of partners in Brazil that are seeking opportunities for our players. My goal is to have easily 30 players between the ages of 18 to 21 playing in Brazil for probably two to three years. We think the level of development they can experience in that professional environment would certainly add a lot to our national set up.”
He added, “We always have been conscious to where our football is and the time it will take it needs to be, so if we can get 20 plus players into a professional set up, and I have had the chance to visit the club the guys are at and it is vibrant and a well-organised professional environment. I hope they [players] embrace the opportunity and do well.”
Instead of moving with haste, Forde and his team will wait to see the returns from the current crop in Brazil before further investments are made to send other players.
“We already have an opportunity for two more players, but from an Executive standpoint we have taken a decision to see how this goes…let’s ensure there is comfort on both ends and once we are comfortable, we will try to push that programme more aggressively, we would like to have players in that programme a bit sooner, but we do not have a solution for players below the age of 18.”
The trio would have been part of the historic Brazil Train and Play Camp last August when the Senior National Team spent two weeks there and would have played against the said club in a practice match.
The young Guyanese will likely feature in a friendly match against the Qatar national team on June 9. Qatar was invited along with Japan to play in the world’s oldest continental tournament – Copa America, the 46th edition of the event which will be played in six stadiums across five cities in Brazil.
