The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) yesterday, challenging the society to alter its behavior and views on women while issuing a call for the increased participation of females in the discipline.
As part of the observance, the federation has fashioned a series of video interviews with emerging players specifically aimed at encouraging the increased participation of girls and women in football, stated a release from the federation.
The theme for this year is ‘Choose to Challenge’.
GFF Third Vice-President and Attorney-at-Law Thandi McAllister said, “International Women’s Day brings awareness to the achievements of women across the globe without regard for race, religion, culture, language or anything that divides us.” According to McAllister, who serves on the Caribbean Football Union Legal Committee, “Having established that the contributions of women are indeed invaluable, I’m happy that there is a day set aside for the acknowledgement and celebration of women and their everyday sacrifices, contributions and achievements in every sector.”
She added, “Men are not the competition. Yes, they may have set standards for the game, but not yours, for their own game. You’re entitled to play like a girl, win, lose or draw – just play.”
Andrea Johnson, President of the Guyana National
Women’s Football Association, said “one woman can make a difference, but together we can rock the world. I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.”
She added, “Feminism isn’t about making a woman stronger; women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It is the vision that men and women should be treated equally in social, economic and all other aspects of society, and not to be discriminated against because of gender.” U20 and U17 international midfielder Shamya Daniels , who features in the interview series said, “Any sport you play – it’s not just a game that men only can play; women can go out there and prove everyone else wrong,” Daniels said. “I would like to encourage all the young girls and women out there to come out and play the sport and just enjoy it while you do it.”
According to the release, “This year, the Senior Women’s National Team is scheduled to take part in FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers in October and November, while the U20 team participates in Concacaf U20 Women’s Championship qualifiers in September and the U17s compete in the Concacaf U17 Women’s Championship in August. The GFF will also host its U15 squad in a camp to prepare for regional competition next year.
“Depending on the COVID-19 pandemic and approvals from the authorities, the GFF has approved the following domestic women’s football activities this year: the GFF-Always Women’s Development League, the Rupununi Women’s League, a Regional Association women’s development tournament, and Regional Association girls’ football development festivals.
“The federation is also planning a series of school pilot projects, including a U15 tournament in West Demerara, a U13 tournament in Upper Demerara, and U11 and U9 tournaments in the East Bank/Georgetown region. Once successfully completed, these tournament models would be expanded to other region,” the release concluded.
