A section of the crowd at the STAG Elite League Final
President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde, while praising the high level of competitiveness in the just concluded STAG Elite League (Genesis), also said that he’s concerned about the participating clubs being able to sustain themselves.
Slingerz Football Club defeated Alpha United 3 – 2 on Sunday last at the Leonora Stadium to hoist the coveted title and the $4M first place prize with Forde highlighting that the “Elite league is a remarkable tournament and Guyana definitely needs to get into the semi-pro and ultimately the professional football environment”
Forde stated that while the league presented its fair share of challenges, “my primary concern with regards to the league is how would the clubs sustain themselves and continue to participate because it imposes a financial burden on them and that is the solution the GFF needs to lead in solving because it’s important to Guyana that we have a semi-professional league that’s sustains itself over the long run”.
He further added “the conclusion of the Genesis half of the league is tremendous we had the crowd support and participation that reflect the kind of momentum that the league has enjoyed over the past couple of months”
Ansa McAl, under their STAG Beer brand is the league’s title sponsor, with COURTS Guyana Inc, the Government of Guyana and E-Networks being other contributors to the league.
Forde was however adamant that for the league to really reach its full potential, corporate Guyana will have to play a part in helping to give the players and football fans a league which Guyana deserves.
Looking ahead, Forde promised a better league, while noting “we have about just about two months to sit and see how much we can improve the league. There’s no limit to how much we can improve things and it’s important also, that we get the best league possible”.
The STAG Elite League (Finale) will resume next February, where the eight participating clubs (Slingerz, Pele, Fruta Conquerors, Alpha United, Buxton United, GFC, Monedderlust and GDF) will attempt to outduel each other for the overall crown.