-by Tyriq Clarke

The Guyana Football Federation is moving to accelerate the professionalization of its Elite League, with the recruitment of a Director of Leagues and Competitions nearing completion.

Speaking during a recent GFF Elite League discussion, President, Wayne Forde said the Federation has been working with FIFA on plans to professionalize the competition.

“We’ve been working for the better part of a year and a half, and this is probably, maybe an announcement with FIFA, putting together some plans to professionalize the league,”

In 2024, the GFF president said the Federation was targeting the establishment of a professional league within two years.

That target has not yet been achieved and according to Forde, the Federation has a little over a year, to move the process forward.

A major part of that plan will be the new Director of Leagues and Competitions.

“We’re just about to close the recruitment of a Director of Leagues and Competitions, and as soon as we have that person on board, the pace at which we’re going to be advancing the professionalization of the league will be exponential,” he explained.

The GFF president acknowledged however that professionalizing the competition will require more than simply paying players.

“Most of our clubs don’t have a home, and if we’re going to tackle professional football, we need to fix that,” he said.

Forde also pointed to the lack of professional contracts among many Elite League players as another major concern.

He believes player compensation can be addressed relatively quickly but said infrastructure challenges will take more work.