Backed by MVP Sports and Urban Life, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Women’s Development Football League Playoff will kick off this month.
MVP’s Managing Director Ian Ramdeo made the official announcement on Wednesday at the company’s main branch at Giftland Mall.
Ramdeo noted that his company is focused on the development of women in sports in 2023 and that the league’s partnership agreement was signed following months of discussions with the GFF.
“This year MVP Sports is looking to focus our attention more on assisting where we can with the development of women’s sports. We have been a supporter of the GFF for football and sports in general over the years and hopefully this year we can continue to do so in a bigger way and in a different way. We are very happy to be a part of this tournament and looking forward to many more in the future,” Ramdeo shared in a GFF release.
The league was launched in June 2022 with 37 teams from across Guyana with the objective of promoting and empowering women in football.
The competition continues with 12 teams in the playoff round to crown the league champions.
President of the Women’s Football Association (WFA) Andrea Johnson thanked Ramdeo and stressed that the sustainable development of women’s football cannot happen without the support of the government and corporate Guyana.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to MVP sports for this timely and generous contribution towards women’s football development. We believe this playoff format will bring an exciting conclusion to what has been a very exciting tournament.
The GFF women’s football development programme is making tremendous strides both locally and internationally,” Johnson noted.
She added: “We are now in a place where we have active competition for young girls and senior female players. The GFF’s 2023 national football calendar reflects the significant increase in female competitions as compared with any previous year in our football history.
For us to fully implement the 2023 season we need the government of Guyana and corporate Guyana to follow the example of MVP Sports, which is in fact a small company, yet making a huge investment in sports and by extension, the lives of our young men and women.”
The partnership between MVP Sports and Urban Life builds on a highly successful delivery of league-based competitions for women and underlines the company’s strong record in corporate social responsibility.
League player Shamya Daniels, a defender attached to the Fruta Conquerors Football Club, said her team has been training in anticipation of the playoff round. “We are training very hard and preparing for this tournament. I am looking forward to great competition and also winning this tournament.”
The Women’s Development Football League is a pathway to national programmes.
Players who impress coaches will be invited to train with the national teams. (GFF)
