The National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) has joined forces with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA) as a lead sponsor of the inaugural GFF-GNWFA Women’s Super 16 Festival 2021, providing funds for the year-end competition’s first prize.
Senior executives from NAMILCO, a long-term supporter of football as title sponsor of the GFF national U-17 men’s intra-association tournament, made the presentation to GFF President Wayne Forde on Friday.
“The management of the NAMILCO is pleased to partner with the GFF for the staging of the historic Women’s Super 16 Festival,” said NAMILCO Managing Director Bert Sukhai, who was joined at the presentation by NAMILCO Financial Controller Fitzroy McLeod.
“We were excited to learn that seven teams from across the hinterland regions were invited to participate in the inaugural tournament. NAMILCO wants to see more girls and women being afforded the same opportunities as their male counterparts for growth development and competition,” Sukhai added.
“We are, therefore, happy to see that they are getting an opportunity to participate in a football tournament of this stature and we are proud to lend our support to these initiatives.”
“We must therefore commend the GFF for giving these young women an opportunity to showcase their skills and express themselves throughout this competition,” he concluded.
The tournament is the first year-end senior women’s competition in Guyana and kicked off on Saturday, in St. Cuthbert’s Mission, with the home side taking on Swan FC.
The festival will be played over 13 match days, culminating in the final and third-place playoff at 15:00h on Sunday, January 2 at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The champions of the tournament will win a first prize of G$500,000, with the runners-up receiving G$300,000. The third placed team will receive G$200,000 and the team that finishes in fourth will take home G$100,000.
“We are delighted to welcome NAMILCO on board for this historic tournament and we want to extend our gratitude to the management of the company for supporting women’s football and this incredibly important competition,” said GFF President Wayne Forde.
“NAMILCO has been a strong and loyal partner for football in Guyana for many years and its continued investment in the sport has made a huge and lasting impact for many young people across the country. We look forward to working with them to continue to rapid development of football for all.”
The competing teams are: Swan, St Cuthbert’s Mission, Foxy Ladies, Lethem, GT Panthers, Fruta Conquerors, Mahdia, Moruca, GDF, Upper Mazaruni, Santos, New Amsterdam United, Bartica, Essequibo All Stars, Police, and Orealla. (GFF)
