Act on orders to save Football

The executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation has been ordered to lead the charge to reshape several aspects of its Football structure to ensure the growth and development both on and off the field of play.

The order paper which shows a list of recommendations, emerged from research done on the current state of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Football.

As it is football authorities are now forced to act on these orders to save the sport from remaining in its current position.

However, what the FIFA regional consultants have advanced as some of the hindrances to progress are not novel, because persons who are around the sport, over the years, have been going hammer and tong beckoning successive executives to pay attention to these very things.

Hence, when the consultants recommend that a dedicated staff member within the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation be appointed to focus on Grassroots Football development, it immediately struck a chord of familiarity, as meetings after meetings, as well as on several radio programmes, football enthusiasts have advanced that need, but to no avail.

Interestingly, the tag onto the recommendation made by consultants relative to the appointment of such a person is to ensure that Grassroots Football Development receives the attention and resources needed separate from the technical and women’s departments.

Again, this has been a clarion call over the years, yet it has fallen on deaf ears, lame hands and blinded eyes.

Other calls for action made by the consultants involve the establishment of dedicated positions for long term strategic planning and coordination across all football development areas: identify funding and support opportunities, strengthen stakeholder inclusion, along with the adapt and scale successful initiatives, whilst setting up an Association Football Forum.

An overarching recommendation is for a list of actions to be pursued.

As such, the SVGFF also has been called upon, not necessarily in order as listed here, to expand and align Association Football programmes strategically, enhance participation tracking via a comprehensive registration system, elevate coaching standards through continuous professional development; develop a robust organisational structure for Association Football, whilst fostering stronger collaboration amongst Association Football stakeholders.

The above -mentioned suggestions are similar to an old local, “Children who na ah hear go drink hot water without sugar”.

When explained, it proffers that the sport has to do some of the basics, when these could have been tended to a long time ago.

Some may argue that it is better late than never, but it also is that we have wasted years of resources of all kinds, and on reflection, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ football would have been at a higher rung.

Hopefully though, the implementation of these proposals is given the urgency they deserve and most importantly, the guardians of the sport see them as pivotal.

The watch party has started as the football fraternity are looking on with eagle eyes as they look forward to moves that will position St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Football in its rightful place.