The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and Racing Madrid Football Club (RMFC) of Spain have embarked on a groundbreaking partnership to elevate youth football to new heights across Guyana with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday in Georgetown.
According to a release from the GF, the partnership was formalised on October 12 with the signing of the MoU between GFF President Wayne Forde and RMFC President Steve Nijjar at the GFF Georgetown headquarters.
RMFC is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain, with ties to Genova International School, recognised as the world’s largest and most successful academy for player pathways and development.
President Forde noted that the MoU, the federation’s first partnership with a European club, symbolises the beginning of a transformative collaboration between the GFF and RMFC, focusing on providing valuable opportunities and resources to nurture and promote young talent.
“This is the GFF’s first partnership with a professional European football Club, and we are excited about the many possibilities our collaboration with Racing Madrid will create. We will embark on various capacity-building initiatives, emphasising youth coaches’ development, mentorship and international exposure.”
The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation between the GFF and RMFC, focusing on various aspects of youth development, including coaching education, grassroots development, youth football programmes, women’s football development and elite player development.
“Racing Madrid has a long history of excellence supported by a global network of professional football relationships.
They have enormous experience in youth academy programmes, which the GFF intends to benefit from in the coming years. I want to express a warm thank you to President Steve Nijjar for working closely with me over the past few months in constructing this historic partnership.”
The partnership will also create opportunities for talented young male and female players in Guyana to gain exposure and secure placements in prestigious European clubs and academies.
The GFF and RMFC are committed to working closely together to implement impactful initiatives to shape the future of youth football in Guyana.
RMFC President Steve Nijjar added that they are “absolutely delighted to have this partnership with the Guyana Football Federation, and we look forward to helping all the players and the coaches in Guyana to get to the next step and improve the game.”
“Our goal is to help the country of Guyana get into the next World Cup, whether it be Youth World Cup or Senior Men’s World Cup, and that is what we will work hard for through Racing Madrid and Geneva Football School.”
The MoU also facilitates the organisation of international youth camps to prepare gifted Guyanese players for upcoming competitions and provides valuable technical assistance to enhance the already established GFF National Youth Academy Centres.
The academy programme, introduced in 2017 to offer boys and girls from as young as five years old tailored football training sessions, has made a remarkable impact on the sport nationwide.
Thousands of aspiring young football players across Guyana have benefited from the age-specific, structured training programme, a pathway for Guyana’s national youth and senior teams. RMFC owner Morris Pagniello noted that he is “delighted to start this ambitious project with this ambitious federation giving youth players of Guyana a real pathway to professional football.”
President Forde’s administration remains committed to forging impactful partnerships significantly contribute to football’s growth and long-term viability in Guyana. (GFF)
