Olympic qualifier for Blairmont
By Steve Ninvalle
Stabroek News
May 2, 2003
West Coast Berbice is scheduled to have its first international football match when the Blairmont ground host the opening game of Guyana's quest for honours in the Olympic Qualifiers.
The Blairmont ground is earmarked for a clash between Guyana and Barbados on September 7 in the first match of a home and away tie.
Guyana Football Federation president Colin Klass said yesterday that a decision was taken to look at venues outside of the capital city following dwindling crowds at the GCC and GFC grounds.
"It will be the first time that an international football match will be played at the Blairmont ground. We had discussions with the people at Blairmont and they are excited at the possibility," Klass disclosed.
Last Boxing Day the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation shifted its annual double-header from the Buxton Community Centre ground to Blairmonth because of escalating crime in the East Coast Demerara village.
Unconfirmed reports state that over six thousand spectators turned up for the quarter-finals, the largest crowd outside of Linden ever to witness a game of the competition.
The turn out was so overwhelming that the organisation have decided to make Blairmont a permanent venue on the Kashif and Shanghai calendar.
The return Olympic qualifier game will be played in Barbados on October 11. The winner of the tie go forward to the next round to play against Belize and Costa Rica among others.
Meanwhile, Klass announced that the Under-23 team in training for the competition will commence encampment in the last week of this month.
The team will remain under the eye of technical director Brazilian Neider dos Santos who is expected back in Guyana today after a two week vacation.
Klass said that the GFF is considering the service of two overseas based players for the Under-23 squad which is expected to spend one week in Trinidad and a few days in Suriname prior to playing Barbados.
