The winner of the 2012 Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) Sponsorship Award, Furmus Gomez has hailed his achievement as a ‘great honour’.

Furu, who was speaking to Observer Sports in an exclusive interview at the National Award and Sports Banquet on Friday at the Djeliba Hotel said the fact that other Gambians could have won the award also makes it more special.

Gomez has been a household name in Gambian sports and had sponsored several sporting events mostly in the Upper River Region over the years. Among the teams he sponsored were NPE Football Club in the 1980s.

He has also been giving 5,000 annually to each of the seven Districts in the Region. While admitting that the award is something he deserves, Gomez said it will also serve as a motivation to him to go the extra mile.

Joseph Furmus Gomez was born on the first of July, 1952 at No. 1 Hurst Street in Banjul and attended St. John’s Primary and St. Augustine’s Post Primary Schools. His contributions towards the promotion of football in the URR particularly in Basse date as far back as 1984.

His keen interest in football coupled with his managerial skills led to the success of the NPE Football Club. His experience with the club opened other doors for him in the management of the game at Regional level. He had the opportunity to serve in the then URD Divisional Youth & Sports Committee as Treasurer of the famous SAFRA Committee, a position under his purview.

Since the beginning of the millennium Gomez has been sponsoring teams in the region with footwear, Jerseys, footballs and other sports equipments. He also provides annually from his own pocket the sum of D5,000 to every zone in URR as seed money for the preparation and implementation of their programme of activities.

This magnanimous gesture compelled delegates from all sporting zones to unanimously elect him as chairman of the Regional Youth & Sports of URR since 2005. In appreciation of his huge contribution towards the development of football in the Upper River Region the GNOC decided to decorate him with the Sponsorship Award for 2012.