“I am really happy to see local talent coming through and you are in the forefront of that and so I am charging you all to keep that momentum going, keep the local talent developing, keep playing and knocking on the door.”
The words of National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) Finance Director, Mr. Fitzroy McLeod to members of the Guyana Police force Female Team when the company handed over the first place prize of G$500,000 for the just concluded Guyana Football Federation Women’s Super 16 Festival 2021-2022.
Held under the theme, ‘We Rise Against Domestic Violence’, this inaugural year-end tournament, one of three tournaments the GFF has organised, two of which have been done in association with the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation (Men’s Super 16 Cup and Futsal), attracted 16 teams with the GPF defeating GT Panthers 4-2 in the final on January 2, 2022 at the Leonora Track and Field Facility.
President of the Guyana National Women’s Association (GNWA), which organised the competition, Andrea Johnson was on hand at NAMILCO along with representatives of the GPF FC, including Captain Colette Hope and Head Coach Vurlon Mills.
NAMILCO’s Marketing Supervisor Alicia Anderson chaired proceedings whilst also congratulating the members of the GPF FC on a job well done. McLeod challenged the members to keep on keeping on and building on the success they have earned from this inaugural competition.
“Congratulations on coming out victorious, even greater congratulations on maintaining the momentum and fighting to the finish so that you could be victorious. I really implore you not to make this be an event and destination in one. Let this be a stepping stone, as you move forward, keep the momentum going; keep aligning yourself with good teams that challenge you so you can keep building and improving yourself.”
McLeod, a former footballer and strong supporter of the game, posited that as a student and athlete, one must have a teachable spirit: “Listen to advise, try and incorporate that into your game and your development as an overall human being, not just as an athlete.”
Players present, Coach and Manager were all encouraged to spread the word and always strive to be the best.
“Maintain the focus on your goal, develop yourself physically by eating a lot of NAMILCO products, you get the wheat-up in your system, you have the get the nutrition right, you have to put in the work and you have to put in the study, the mental part of it. Aim to be total football players.”
GNWA President Andrea Johnson in her remarks thanked McLeod and NAMILCO for their continued partnership with the GFF, which has been going for many years. Johnson stated that the support for this inaugural Women’s Festival is heartwarming and looks forward to building on this initiative.
She promised that in conjunction with her parent body, all an look forward to more female football throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.
“I can assure you that we have so much talent here amongst our females that people are not aware of; so I want to thank NAMILCO for stepping up and tangibly supporting this tournament so that this talent could have come to the fore. Gratitude is extended to you on behalf of my executive and the GFF and we look forward to your continuous support.”
GFF President Mr. Wayne Forde weighed in on NAMILCO’s backing: “Without any hesitation, Mr. Bert Sukhai offered his commitment to support our girls. I was delighted by his eagerness to see more investment being channeled towards the development of Women’s Football in Guyana.
It goes without saying that NAMILCO is an enduring partner of the GFF and we are happy to have taken this historic journey with them.”
