Ringbang could be the making of local footballers
-International star Eddy Grant
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
March 21, 2004
Just as Jamaica has the Reggae Boyz, Trinidad has the Soca Warriors and Grenada has the Spice Boys, Guyana may soon join the band with the Ringbang Boys.
Guyanese/international recording artiste Eddy Grant has held discussions with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) in an effort to see just how he can assist football and players in his homeland.
Speaking with Stabroek Sport in Grenada recently, the dreadlocked Grant said there is hope for the creation of the Ringbang Boys and him assisting football in Guyana. "There is every hope and there is every chance. I love this game. I love Guyana. And I love these guys [national footballers] who are out there trying very hard with very little recognition back home. I think that when we start to give recognition to them we will start to get results."
Ringbang is a music form created by Grant. The Ringbang philosophy was conceptualised and articulated by Grant for the people from whom he was born, namely the people of the Caribbean. The simple tenets of Ringbang are: 'We must learn to love ourselves first. We must love the things we make or create. And we must buy the things we make or create.'
Grant, one of the most powerful men in the Caribbean music business, said that at the moment, no definite decision has been made on how much or where his assistance will go but he assured of his eagerness to support.
"All I can say at this moment is that I have met various members of the GFF and we have spoken about various matters with regard to football. I have been a football player all my life. My brother Rudy has been an even better player. One of the things I think I can do is bring a higher profile to Guyanese footballers," the creator of Ringbang said.
Grant witnessed the 5-0 defeat of the senior national side at the hands of Grenada, but was upbeat that better days are ahead. However, he pointed out that a support mechanism needs to be put in place for players.
"I support the Guyanese team. I'm able to travel and see them when they play. It tells the guys that someone has an interest in them. I would like to think that it would be possible for me to use my position in some way to further advance the game of football in Guyana. I think that through football we have a very good chance of creating real values for our young guys," said Grant.
"There should be a support mechanism for them; from government, from the private sector. They [the players] must feel that they are worth something. Right now, they don't feel like they are worth anything. If you were to go in the streets and ask who are the top 11 players in Guyana nobody would know.
"Some kind of profile-lifting situation has to be put in place. I would like to feel that I can help in that. Once the guys start to feel that they are somebody, they will perform like somebody. Right now, they have to dig too deep. At this stage of their career, they should be playing purely on skills and emotion. Right now, they have to think about a lot of other things. Maybe what they are going to eat next and things like that. They are not settled. It would be nice for them to have a ground, where they can call home and that they can feel proud of. It would give a consciousness not only to the guys in the team but to those wishing to make the team also."