A charity football match between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President’s XI and the Indigenous All Stars XI will be held on Sunday, October 1, 2017, at the Everest Sports Ground Camp Road. The match is a collaborative effort by the GFF, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and Banks DIH to assist those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria and persons affected by the floods in Region Eight.
President of the GFF Wayne Forde said that football is a sport that brings people together no matter ethnic background or political affiliation. He is calling on everyone to make generous donations for a worthy cause.
“Many Guyanese are not fully aware of the impact those two hurricanes have had . . . many of those countries have been decimated. It will take years before they come back to any form of normalcy . . . to me this is more than a game, this is Guyana demonstrating that it is a caring nation,” he explained.
Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, an advocate for football in Guyana, said that the initiative is a timely one. The Minister commended the response she received from the GFF following discussions on ways they could assist those affected by the devastating disasters.
Jeremy Garrett of the President’s XI said that he is happy to be participating in such an event, taking into consideration the initiative behind it. Garrett said that Guyana is one of the luckiest countries in the world, as it does not experience natural disasters such as the recent hurricanes.
He stated that “if we did, I know for a fact that we would have wanted help from other countries and for the country (Guyana) to come up with an idea like this I must commend those who thought of the idea to have a game to just end help to the other countries that were affected”.
Delano Mentor, representing the Indigenous All Stars XI, said that he is excited to be playing against some of the best footballers from Georgetown. However, Mentor acknowledged the importance and the reason behind the game.
“Our main focus here is to support the hurricane-affected countries,” he added that “we are looking forward for the support from the fans, we hope you come out in numbers,” Mentor stated.
Funds garnered from the two games will go to victims of the hurricane-ravaged Caribbean islands. Admission to the venue is GUY$500, but persons can make donations at a desk that will be set up at the venue. The opening game, a female encounter starting at 6 p.m., will bring together the National Under-17 squad against an All-star team. The main event will commence at 8 p.m. (DPI/GINA)
