SVGFF wants a move on Ministries’ bureaucracy

The Executive of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) has launched the community arm of its Youth Football Development Programme, but the start date of the school based component is being stalled because of an apparent lack of synergy between the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education.{{more}}

At the official launch last Saturday morning at the Victoria Park, the situation prompted President of the SVGFF Joseph Delves to call on the two ministries to “iron out their bureaucracy differences”.

Delves acknowledged to SEARCHLIGHT that both ministries are keen to have the programmes implemented, but said he thought that the pace of response was too slow.

Delves further told SEARCHLIGHT that the schools’ programme formed the mass base of the national programme.

He admitted that his organisation does not have all the resources needed to deal with the programme, hence the importance of the need for partnership, especially with the schools.

Delves said that the schools, with more instructional time in Physical Education and Sports available, will scaffold the programme.

As it stands, the recently launched community arm is set for, in some instances, two days per week.

Recounting the trail of events, Delves said, “We wrote to the Ministry of Education last November about our intentions”, Delves stated.

He said that discussions were also held with the top officials of the Ministry of Sports.

However, Delves said the journey has been tedious and at times taxing on his executive’s patience.

During the course of this year, the SVGFF invested $40, 000 in equipment to kick start the programme.

Ready and raring to go, the SVGFF has been successful in getting government to second two of its employees, national coaches Roger Gurley and Earl Paynter, to conduct, in supervisory capacities, the nationwide programme.

Counting as success the forward movement of the process, Delves stated, “The Ministry of Sports has committed $12,000 worth of equipment into the programme, but they cannot use the equipment in isolation and must liaison with the Ministry of Education”.

“In April of this year , we had another meeting with the Chief Education Officer, Education Officer/PE and Sports, Mr. Charles, and others, and the matter was jogged forward a little bit”, Delves revealed.

Delves said that the officials then agreed that the programme could be implemented.

“It seems that whenever we nudge them the plan inches forward’, the football boss opined.

“In August we had two meetings with officials of the Ministry of Education, who informed that they are currently upgrading their curricula,” Delves said.

But a final word and the next move are yet to be had, which is causing Delves and company some anxiety about the desire to build from the ground up.

An optimistic Delves said that once the programme in the schools gets going, the anticipated return of the Primary Schools Competition, can be a more meaningful reality.

Keeping in line with its developmental thrust, the SVGFF national youth programme is aimed at instructing young footballers of both sexes, between the age of five and fifteen, in the rudiments of the sport.

Already on the go are six of the ten indentified zones.

Last Saturday’s ceremony also heard brief addresses from Education Officer Elford Charles and Keith Ollivierre, a member of the Technical Development Committee of the SVGFF.

The formal handing over of the equipment to be used in the programme to the zone co-ordinators and the signing of the social contracts between the zones and the SVGFF also took place at last Saturday’s launch.