The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has officially launched their ‘Road to Portugal’ campaign in a bid to garner funds for the trip to Europe.
The junior Golden Jaguars have been invited to the Future Cup U17 championships which will run from October 14th-23rd and will be staged in the city of Aveiro.
Teams from South America, the Caribbean, Central America, Asia and Europe will be participating.
The 18-member squad, has not yet been named but the GFF revealed that seven officials and two teachers will also make the journey.
GFF President Wayne Forde said corporate support will be needed to make the venture a reality.
He said that while the acquisition of funds will not be easy, the entity will work arduously to make the tour a reality as they are committed to youth development.
“It’s going to be a challenge. The budget at this point stands around 22 million Guyana dollars,” he said adding that he was encouraged by the support being received by the parents of several players who will play an integral part in helping with the fund raising initiatives.
Meanwhile, GFF Technical Development Officer (TDO) Lyndon France said that he believes the event will provide a perfect opportunity for the players to experience quality football following their recent exploits at the CFU U17 Championship.
“This is a good opportunity to give them further exposure. In Portugal, they are going to be seen by scouts of top Portuguese and other European clubs. The possibility is there for talent spotting,” said France.
He said that the experience of participating in the tournament cannot be measured by the cost to participate as it will have profound effect on the nation’s football going forward.
