Baltimore, MA (SMS) – It’s surfs up for Guyana’s football (soccer), literally.
Riding on the recent waves of favourable news, counting the past week’s report of the ‘WIN with CONCACAF in CONCACAF project’, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is poised to ride another crest when it introduces the sport of Beach Soccer, locally.
The ripples of the ground-breaking world craze are set to wash onto the shores … er! … make that the inland sandy expanses … of Guyana on Saturday, May 2nd with the inaugural Guyana Beach Soccer Extravaganza. It will be Guyana’s formal introduction of the sun and sand sport as an organized and sanctioned activity that was first developed in neighboring, soccer-mad Brazil.
First fixed for the Blueberry Hill ground, the event, now, moves to the more picturesque and spectator-friendly Christianburg sports complex on the western bank of Linden, a community bearing to be a major transit point for the roadway linking the two South American nations.
Steering the launch program is GFF’s US-based International Coordinator M. Garth Nelson who is overly enthused that the game will be “a revelation in Guyana.” Combining the classiness of traditional soccer with the fun of beach experiences, Nelson notes that beach soccer is enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity across the globe and that Guyana has a budding platform for the sport. “Being the lifeguard, so to speak, to look over this thing during the wading days, I am sure that we as a country can do well in the sport.”
Because beach soccer, Nelson said, has a cheaper player investment and facility maintenance compared to most other disciplines, he sees it as being the sport Guyana was waiting to embrace to gain greater international acclaim. “The very nature of the sport would encourage infinite participation at the urban and rural levels, thus we envisage a huge pool of players to draw from to represent Guyana.”
“It’s no secret that most soccer players from Linden and other sandy parts of Guyana started playing the game at the ‘scrubby’ level in similar conditions to what beach soccer is all about,” Nelson noted. He said once they narrow down the options, it would be time to focus on more practical matters. We know that convenience is one of the biggest factors to adherence.”
Nelson was put at the helm of arrangements by GFF president Colin Klass, whom he says has “a senior responsibility” for the development of the game in the CONCACAF region. “And it’s only fitting that we create our own waves in this fast-paced, fun-filled hybrid sport.”
“The word is out in Guyana, especially in Linden, and people already smelling what is cooking,” Nelson posited, while flipping his eyes much like American wrestler turn moviestar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s expressive trademark. While he’s gathering the requisite ‘ingredients’ for the event from overseas, a locally-based team of ‘cooks’ is preparing the ‘broth’ to dish out the spectacle to Guyanese fans.
“We’ve got Jimmy McLean and (Lawrence) ‘Sparrow’ Griffith spearheading the preparatory work to ready the facilities and other arrangements to get a competitive and entertaining event to launch this sport, locally,” Nelson declared.
A successful coach with a penchant for novel sports undertakings, McLean and Griffith who has enviable soccer awareness, will be getting the players and their teams “up to speed with the rudiments of the game so that we can put on a impressive event.” The extravaganza promises nothing less. Nelson disclosed that along with official games, music and dance performances and other fringe entertainment for both kids and adults will be in the 6-hour line-up that starts at 10am.
“It going to be like a day at the beach with soccer as the prime attraction, beach soccer,” Nelson remarked. They are also arranging appearances by beach soccer models and fitness personalities. “With this being in the heart of the Town Week, when many people come from out of town and overseas, we want to take advantage of the resources to showcase the attractiveness of the sport.”
Guyana will join some 170 other countries into the sport. From the playing sands of the Philippines to Haiti, Iran to the Bahamas, beach soccer is the new go-to-game for keeping fit, having fun and creating tourism opportunities. Agility stamina, finesse, high speed and excitement – these attributes fittingly describe the dynamic sport which entails continuous play on a surface that is less stable than turf or grass.
When compared to traditional soccer, the beach version has its variations. Teams comprise five players; including a goalkeeper ... A full game takes less time, while substitutions are unlimited with special timing regulations ... The sizes of the playing area and goals are significantly reduced ... There are no offsides … The ball used in slightly different to stimulate more air play. There are also marked changes in players’ attire – they do not wear cleats (boots) or shinpads, though in special cases players can use light protective gear for their toes and lower feet.
“What also makes this sport exciting is the fact that statistics show that a goal is scored, on average, every three minutes or so, often times from some acrobatic play like bicycle kicks,” Nelson alluded, and then backed his claim with a reminisce of a Senegal versus United Arab Emirates game where over a dozen goals were scored during the three 12-minute periods.
Though Guyana is called ‘the land of many waters’, it does not match that moniker with the amount and nature of beaches, but Nelson said that fact is less off-putting, and more encouraging for creativity. “Yes, we don’t have the same type of beaches as, let’s say, Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, but they haven’t kicked in as yet with this sport, and besides, we in Guyana have a better chance to set up beach soccer specific venues like in Brazil.”
Nelson said that after the extravaganza, “the plan is to extend the sensitization further to all parts of Guyana, and at the same time work with other stakeholders who can contribute to and benefit from the promotion of the sport.” He said that he has already had communication with some resorts about staging official games. “We also have to involve the relevant ministries such as sports, education and tourism, as well as managers of the few beach-type venues in Guyana to collaborate with us in this venture.”
To facilitate the rapid and purposeful development of the game in Guyana, the soccer executive wants to ensure local officials and players are exposed early to top-level, non-global tourneys like the ones held annually in at Brazil’s world renowned Copacabana Beach and in the U.S. state of Virginia where hundreds of teams compete. Incidentally, Nelson was at the time preparing for travel to neighbouring Maryland state for national striker Randolph ‘Blackhead’ Jerome’s maiden game with for his new club Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
To speed up the learning curve, too, he also hopes to pull off a coup de grace by having top Brazilians play in Guyana within the first 18 months of the sport being established here. “They are the maestros of the game and they are our neighbors … I see no reason why we can’t quickly collaborate with them to develop our game and fan base.”
Of the 13 Beach Soccer World Cup championships, Brazil has won the crown eleven times, with France and Portugal getting the others. Additionally, Mexico, Uruguay, Spain, Argentina, Italy, England and the USA have landed top-3 spots.
With increased participation and accessibility to the game, locally, Nelson said he doesn’t see why Guyana cannot be at a major global tourney in the next ten years. “I seriously feel we might be able to end up there faster than at a championship dealing with the full-fledged version of the game.”
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