With Guyana slated to tackle Venezuela today in the semi-final round of PAHF Challenge in Chicklayo, Peru, Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) President Phillip Fernandes said that the team has defied all expectations despite the lack of resources.
Guyana qualified for the semi-final stage in the PAHF Challenge, after finishing second in group-A behind Brazil with five points. In their opening fixture, Guyana drew with Puerto Rico 2-2 before thumping Panama 14-0 in the second fixture. In their final fixture against Brazil, Guyana drew 2-2.
Speaking exclusively to Stabroek Sports, Fernandes said “I think this is a great achievement for our men’s team. This team has prepared well for this tournament and the results are proving so. It comprises of a group of dedicated and gifted athletes and I am pleased that they have received this opportunity to show that they can compete on the international stage”.
According to Fernandes “Guyana is the only team in the competition without an artificial hockey field on which to train and they probably have less financial resources available to them than all of the other nations. Our team therefore is exceeding the expectation of the regional hockey community and truly making the local Federation and hopefully all Guyanese proud”.
Asked how the GHB will build on the success of the programme going forward, he said “This is a huge achievement for Guyana. It is not easy for any nation to achieve such success given the lack of resources available with which to prepare. Normally teams preparing for international competition train on artificial pitches as well as travel for international warm up matches”.
Fernandes declared “I understand for example that Brazil recently spent 5 months in Europe training and playing matches and spent an excess of US$300,000 for the year so far. I think great credit has to go to Head coach Robert Fernandes and his management team for the amount of time, effort and astute strategic planning which are all necessary to bring our team to this point of success”.
He further said “If Guyana manages to finish in one of the top two positions, they will qualify for the next PAHF Cup which is a World Cup qualifier and will feature only the top 8 teams in the Pan American region”.
“We hope also that this success will attract the attention of the government, world governing body for hockey and potential sponsors to support our appeal for an artificial hockey pitch here in Guyana”, Fernandes added.
This international outdoor event is the first for the Guyanese men in eight years, with their last competitive outdoor showing occurring in the 2007 Caribbean Cup and ALBA Games where they gained a Bronze and Silver respectively.
Due to Guyana’s inactivity over the period, it no longer holds a world or Pan American ranking and will have to compete alongside the teams not ranked in the top six within the region in the Pan American Challenge to qualify for the 2017 Pan American Cup in the United States of America.
