Improved finances for SVGFF, but a decline in team ranking

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) has moved from an organisation that had to borrow EC$100 from a local shopkeeper to help reopen a national tournament, to an entity that can pay its president an EC$5000 salary.

But while this may be the case, the national team has dropped from ranking 73 in the world to 175 and from second place in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) ranking to 16th.

Last week, Parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown Major St Clair Leacock spoke about the state of football in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), stressing that the potential for SVG to achieve exceptional feats in football is there, but we must first get our act together.

Leacock’s comments come amidst campaigning by several persons who are seeking to head up the SVGFF. The organisation must complete elections for a new executive by the end of December 2023 as stated by the FIFA, the world governing body for football.

Leacock, speaking on the NDP sponsored New Times radio program on Nice Radio noted: “There is so much money in football now that everybody wants to hold that office.”

Leacock, a former SVGFF president (2001 to 2007) said that at this point, several persons are running for office at the SVGFF, but when he took over football in 2001, there was nothing in the coffers except, literally, a bag of bills in the office.

“And I had to get all of that sorted out and get it a way that was presentable and make a case for FIFA to re-admit us into the fold…

“…And when we restarted, we did not even have enough cash the Sunday to reopen football in Victoria Park and I went down and borrow some money from Daddy Thomas who had a shop there, to make change and I went by the gate and you had to physically, as President, help to collect the money so you can pay back Daddy Thomas the money that he lend you to reopen football…,” Leacock explained.

The politician said when he left the SVGFF, having been voted out by one vote, he left certain persons involved and they are still there today.

“Some of those people are still involved in football now, running for office in 2023, like they have nothing else they can do.”

He said when he left the organisation, SVG was first in the Caribbean Football Union and 73rd in the world.

He noted that the SVGFF is entitled to US$1 million dollars annually, and if a president has all his/her ducks in a row, they can get up to US$6 million from FIFA.

Leacock said when he was speaking about a home for football, persons did not entertain or understand the call and now, 23 years after, the leading sport in the country still does not have a home.

“To the credit of the current serving executive, they are working on getting their own home and it can’t be too soon, because football needs that and that is important as a youth activity,” Leacock commented.

He said that in SVG, we have the potential to develop football at a level that other countries have done and as a result produce professionals that in turn contribute to the country in many forms including infrastructural development in areas like health care and education.

Leacock noted also that while government should not be involved in the day to day running of football, he believes that the money that comes from FIFA should be supplemented by government policy that dedicates a sum of money specifically for football or sport.

“…And the figure I have in mind is something like a five million dollars,” Leacock said while adding that if opposition leader Dr Godwin Friday is elected as Prime Minister, he (Leacock) is expected to be Deputy Prime Minister and bring his substantial and significant experience to Cabinet where he can say, “give football five million dollars.”

He said this money can be given to persons, like popular coach Ian Sardine of System 3 Sporting Academy, to help establish football academies where children can be coached from around age five until they are ready to take part in SVGFF activities.

The NDP VP noted also that in the executive and leadership of his party, there are persons who have paid their dues and know what it is to have development programs for youths.