x8

Guyana Club Hockey

Guyana hockey has entered a new era with the election of Philip Fernandes as president of a new-look board which has a lot of youth mixed with some experience in former National Coach Gregory Sills and senior national player Ivor Thompson.

Fernandes is a businessman with a wide range of experience and executive and marketing skills. He is also a former national team player and junior national team captain. He captained the junior Guyana squad to the Gold Medal at the 1992 Junior CAC Games.

Fernandes now has the momentous task of trying to drag Guyana from the field hockey doldrums to make it a regional force in the game. Guyana?s hockey has been stagnated since 1992 when a foreign coach Patrick Burrows had a two-year stint which resulted in the Junior CAC victory.

Since then, the country has not done well at the international level, only entering two tournaments.

The reasons for this are complex ? they can be attributed to many factors, such as the lack of facilities, coaching, finances, the present economic situation in Guyana, and poor organisation at the board level.

This new Board gives a lot of hope for the future of hockey in Guyana, because it includes many of the architects of Guyana?s last international success. Remaining from that period are: Philip Fernandes (Captain), Gregory Sills (Coach), Rawle Davson, and Brian Asregado.

They are charged with the task of re-organising hockey at the national level, reintroducing the sport into schools, and trying to achieve the elusive goal of getting an Astroturf pitch, vital to the success of hockey in this developing nation.

Hockey in Guyana is played primarily around the capital, Georgetown, and as such the hockey community is small with limited resources. This has resulted in the game experiencing a decline in participation at all levels.

The new board must now try to reverse this downward trend, and build a foundation for the development of hockey for years to come.

This job is a difficult one, and requires that the entire community band together and focus their energies on some important tasks, namely junior development, increasing participation, improving facilities such as an artificial surface, and improving the club structure and local tournaments.

JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
-Reintroduction of hockey into schools
-Making it part of the sports curriculum.
-Developing school tournaments.
-Weekly coaching sessions at high schools
-Weekend Coaching clinics for junior players and junior tournaments and leagues
-Acquiring equipment for junior players

IMPROVING FACILITIES
Hockey in Guyana has nowhere to go internationally if the country cannot obtain an artificial surface ? all international tournaments are now played on Astroturf. Guyana will never be able to compete if they cannot hone their skills on the right surface. This is the toughest task for the Board will have to undertake, because it requires the most effort and, of course, the most dollars.
The dream of having an Astroturf in Guyana has been elusive, because there has not been any focused or organised drive to obtain the turf. The Board must find a way to get the government to donate the necessary land and help with the financing of the laying of the pitch. The Board must also convince the FIH that Guyana is deserving of help, and has an adequate level of participation to satisfy FIH requirements.
The Board must, on its own, raise funds and convince the local business community that field hockey is an inclusive game that will be readily available to the entire population. This is where the youth and enthusiasm of the new Board will be effective. Fernandes, with his local and international business and hockey contacts, is the perfect man for this ominous undertaking.

CLUB STRUCTURE
Guyana has six functioning hockey clubs, and this must be increased. The sport must be encouraged to develop outside the greater Georgetown area, and the schools program would be an excellent feeder for new and existing clubs. The Board must find a way to help new clubs with initial start up structure and general administration. It must also help existing and new clubs to develop a marketing strategy.

LOCAL TOURNAMENTS
The rainy season and the cricket season in Guyana dictate when the local outdoor league and one-day tournaments are played, because the existing clubs share the facilities with cricket clubs. The acquisition of an astroturf pitch eliminates this dilemma. In the interim, the board must organise their leagues and tournaments around the erratic rainy season and local and international cricket schedules. Indoor tournaments can be played when it is raining.

Marketing
The Board must develop a strategic and tactical marketing plan that ensures field hockey in Guyana is financed over the short and long term. Hockey is a respected sporting discipline that would appeal to corporate sponsors, and this can be capitalised upon. Effective marketing of the sport will be crucial in the acquisition of a turf field. A special task force could be set up solely dedicated to this goal.

I think this Board is equipped to undertake these challenges. If they are successful, there is a lot of local talent, and it will put Guyana back on the world hockey map.

Clean Steel,
Rene Edwards

Rate This Article

Select Here  5 Stars  (Best Rating)   4 Stars   3 Stars   2 Stars   1 Star  (Worst Rating)

Your opinion counts.
Rate this article or enter your comments below.