Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport announces Workshop Series in association with GSL, Deakin University

Objective to “Build Capacity across the Sports Ecosystem in Guyana”

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on Wednesday announced a sport development seminar series to be conducted on July 30-31, 2026, with Deakin University of Australia, which seeks to provide cutting edge training, insights and tools to help elevate the development of sports capacity in Guyana.

The event will be open to sports federations, students and related industry professionals from across Guyana.

The workshop will be delivered in association with Deakin University’s Department of Sports Management, home to the number two ranked Sports Management Masters degree globally.

It is facilitated and supported by the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, Guyana’s premier international sporting event.

Minister Charles Ramson had this to say about this exciting development: “One of our core objectives at the Ministry is building capacity across the sports sector by connecting governance, workforce development and event leveraging into an integrated understanding of sports administration. By examining sports ecosystem models and case studies from around the world, the workshop will provide an opportunity for us to apply best practices in sports management with a bespoke model. Sports development today is far bigger than just athlete performance, and to achieve the national objective of a premier destination for world-class events and expanded opportunities in sports it requires a big picture thinking at all levels.”

Minister within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Steven Jacobs, also commented: “This initiative forms part of the construction of a stronger sports ecosystem in Guyana, one that facilitates talent development for athletes and administrators alike. By investing in knowledge, governance and practical capacity building, we are creating the conditions for better performance, stronger organizations and an end result that benefits Guyana as a whole. Sport must be seen not only as competition, but as a pathway for discipline, opportunity, national pride and long-term development.” 

Professor Pamm Phillips of Deakin University is an internationally recognised scholar and leader in sport management, bringing more than 25 years of academic and professional experience spanning Australia, the United States, and Asia.

She underscored the importance of the forum for Guyana: “This workshop is designed to support Guyana in thinking strategically about the future of sport development by examining how effective sport ecosystems are designed, governed and sustained internationally. Through global case studies and practical discussion, participants will explore how Guyana can make informed decisions about building a sport system that reflects its own national priorities, communities and long-term aspirations.”

GSL Chairman Sir Clive Lloyd hailed the increased focus on sports development in the country: “I am very proud to call myself Guyanese and equally proud for GSL to be playing a role in the upliftment of our sporting knowledge base and opportunities for growth in our great country. GSL is a proudly Guyanese event that seeks to engage the world and celebrate our wonderful country, both its heritage and its bright future. The latest GSL campaign celebrates the “Super We.”: our greatest strength which is our people. This workshop I hope provide our sporting people some tools for expansion and excellence” 

About the workshop

The workshop is structured to guide participants through a progressive exploration of sport development and capacity building.

The agenda moves from the broader sport ecosystem context, to structural and strategic considerations such as governance, through to key enabling mechanisms including the sport workforce, before concluding with applied outcomes related to sport tourism and leveraging events.

This sequencing is intended to create a cohesive and integrated understanding of capacity building across the sport sector, highlighting the interconnected nature of these themes rather than approaching them as isolated or siloed concepts.

Among the broad areas to be covered during the seminar are:

• Building an Ecosystem for Sport Participation and Development
• Governance
• The Sport Workforce
• Sport Tourism and Leveraging Events

About Deakin University

Deakin offers a comprehensive portfolio of sport education programmes spanning the critical disciplines shaping the modern sports industry, including sport management, exercise and sport science, and sport media and journalism.

Among its flagship offerings is the Master of Business (Sport Management), ranked number two globally for online delivery and recognised as the number one postgraduate sport business course in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The programme is embedded in the Faculty of Business and Law and equips graduates with the strategic, commercial and leadership capabilities required in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.

Deakin’s Exercise and Sport Science programmes in the Faculty of Health also continue to set the international benchmark, with Deakin’s sport science school ranked number one in the world.