Roddy Dowers to contest SVGFF’s presidency

After many years of supporting local football and observing the operations of past executives of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF), seasoned football administrator, commentator, and long-standing headman of Hope International FC Roddy Dowers, has finally decided to throw his hat in the ring.{{more}}

Dowers, whose name had been bandied about as a candidate for the post at the 2007 and 2011 elections, would be the only candidate coming up against current president Venold CoombS.

Dowers, who admitted to SEARCHLIGHT that he had thought of running for the post for some time now, said, “the overwhelming requests from affiliates and football enthusiasts, both young and old, have prompted me to make up my mind this time around.”

Taking an in-depth look at the current landscape of the sport, Dowers declared: “I am sure we all agree that St Vincent and the Grenadines has produced and continues to produce some very gifted and naturally talented players. Therefore, now that football has evolved and opportunities are more available, we need to focus the structure of our football, which includes player development to ensure our young players get to this level.”

Dowers, who has been instrumental in securing professional contracts over the years for several Vincentian footballers, namely Cornelius Stewart, recently awarded sporting ambassador, Marlon “Tusty” James and current senior men’s national coach Cornelius Huggins, is of the view that not enough is being done at the administrative level to develop our players to take them to the next level.

“We in St Vincent and the Grenadines need to come to the realization that Sports Tourism is now a huge part of many countries’ economy and in developing countries like ours, so we need to take advantage of this area, not only for our players’ benefit but the country as a whole,” the prospective president of the SVGFF stated.

Apart from administration, Dowers thinks that national teams at all levels need to be better prepared and for longer periods.

“Our coaches and players need much more support in preparation for tournaments…We are often up against countries where all their players play professionally… Our players go to work from eight to four, some of them in the construction industry and then hustle to get transportation in the rush hour, get to the park generally after five, if they are lucky and train for just over one hour before it gets dark again,” Dowers lamented.

He noted that under such conditions, the players cannot compete seriously against other teams “who play football for a living.”

Dowers advised that there are many fully lit hard courts around the country and this needs to be transferred to football as well, so that our players would have more playing time and matches in local tournaments would be played for full 90 minutes and not reduced time due to bad light.

Buoyant that primary schools’ football has been reintroduced, Dowers said that should he be successful at the polls, his executive would be paying a lot of attention to youth football to ensure that there is continuity and a proper feed to the national level.

He also thinks that our clubs need to be properly organized, which includes being registered.

“We need to assist clubs not only financially and by provision of training gear, but by working closely with them to help them become self-sufficient by focussing on ways to raise funds all year round, rather than waiting until a tournament is near to seek funding,” Dowers advanced.

Dowers, who would be running as an independent candidate, accepted that there are several very capable candidates who are up for election for the three vice-president positions from whom the affiliates would have to choose. He said he would welcome the opportunity to work alongside them.

When quizzed as to the reason he did not choose to form a slate, Dowers advised that he thinks the affiliates should be given the opportunity to vote for the candidate who they think would best represent their interest and the interest of St Vincent and the Grenadines football as a whole.

The election of a new executive of the SVGFF takes place this Saturday, November 21, at the Media Centre of the Arnos Vale Playing Field, as the organization holds its Annual General Meeting.(RT)