FIFA Development Conference facilitated by GFF, first of its kind in GuyanaTwenty-eight nations represented

May 15, 2019 Sports

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By Franklin Wilson

It was another watershed moment for the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) yesterday when for the first time it its history, a FIFA Conference has been hosted here.
The two-day FIFA Development Conference which would end today at the Marriott Hotel has attracted participants from 28 CFU nations.
Host nation President, Wayne Forde, in his welcoming remarks expressed gratitude to FIFA for bringing such a conference to these shores, reiterating that’s it’s a historical moment similar to that of Guyana qualifying for the 2019 version of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Forde also noted that feedback from his colleagues visiting have been very warming, whilst also highlighting the positive partnership with the Government of Guyana through the department of tourism and other partners within the tourism industry, as being exceptional.
Honorable Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton in remarks welcomed the participants and officials, which included Belgium and Germany, on behalf of His Excellency President David Granger, the Government and people of Guyana.

Stating that he is a football enthusiast as well as a past player, Dr. Norton expressed pleasure at FIFA’s decision to host a conference of such magnitude, here.
“Football is a beloved national sport and over the years it has seen much progress here in Guyana with the assistance of FIFA and the delegation of local organizations and players. FIFA’s decision to host this important conference on these shores is a clear indication of its confidence in this ‘Land of Many Waters’; for that, we in Guyana are elated and thankful.”
Noting that Guyana has a population of just less than eight hundred thousand people, Minister Norton boasted that Guyana has been able to astonish the world in various areas and at various levels including sports.
“In almost every aspect of our development including sports, the government has taken an approach to help build capacity through improved preparations. This is why we have embarked on upgrading and building new sports facilities including community and school grounds, notwithstanding the construction of two new synthetic tracks slated for yearend completion.”

The Minister also noted his government had recognized the importance of preparing athletes from an early age: “As such, your decision to focus this conference on the implementation of a comprehensive regional schools football programme is most timely and very much welcome.
At the level of this administration, we appreciate these undertakings and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with FIFA and all its confederations for the betterment of football as a whole and as yet another means of bringing people together and promoting social cohesion.”
FIFA Director of Member Associations and Development – Mr. Veron Mosgengo-Omba brought greetings to those gathered on behalf of FIFA President Gianni Infantino who said that he is looking forward to their support which enables him {Infantino} to continue his work which kicked off in 2016.
The GFF and Government of Guyana were both thanked for the support extended in making the hosting of the Development Conference a success.
“We all know that development means ‘the future’, the FIFA development programme, forward is essential for the future of our game, football.”
Mosgengo-Omba shared that despite the progress made since the implementation of the Forward programme in a number of Member Associations (MA’s), giving the examples of Burundi and Mauritania, qualifying for the first time in AFCON as a result of the Forward resources, there are still considerable challenges in most segments of football organization.
“The Forward Development Programme, an essential pillar of FIFA development, provides to all FIFA MA’s a great opportunity to improve their football and other important areas: administration, technical education, social responsibility, etc.”
He stated that to make all of this reality, MA’s must put in place proper administrative structures, define its objectives, implement a strategy and evaluate the impact of its actions. It also requires that FIFA and MA’s work hand in hand whilst enjoying the trust of the public and other organizations.
Mosgengo-Omba opined that the basis of trust should not only be due to the good result of national teams but also due to our actions in the area of social responsibility. These areas and more he noted would be addressed during the course of the conference.
Some of the areas being dealt with include, what is a project? Characteristics of a project? How does a project come about? Stages of a project: Conception – Evaluation and How can MA’s use football as a means for local development, among others.

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