THE SPORT OF football has received a shot in the arm, with the purchase of five acres of land at Cane Grove, which will be used to erect a multiplex.

SVGFF Home for Football Site Layout

Planned for the site is a full-sized international football field, coupled with a facility for Futsal, along with a Technical Centre, with the capacity of housing two teams and their officials.

Essentially, the entire facility, when completed, will become the “Home for Football”.

A release from the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) last Tuesday, said that the cost of the land was put at EC$2.4 million. Funding was sourced from the sport’s world governing body, FIFA, through its Forward Programme.

The realization of the Home for Football, was one of the pillars on which current president of the SVGFF, Carl Dickson, vested his campaign two years ago.

Delighted that he has been able to begin to follow through on his promises, Dickson commented: “This has to be the most welcoming news for St Vincent and the Grenadines’ football for many years, and it comes at a time when the sport here and the world over, has to battle with the scourges of the coronavirus pandemic.” Dickson added: “We view this major announcement as a gift not only to the thousands of footballers, fans and stakeholders of the sport here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but to the entire nation, as we celebrate our 42nd anniversary of independence…It has been a life- long dream for the SVGFF over the years, and we are pleased that at last, a home for football is closer to reality”.

More delight and satisfaction were expressed by Dickson, against the backdrop that football has always been reliant on facilities of the state in order to thrive.

“We have relied immensely on the resources of the state for many years, of which we are grateful and we thank the various governments which have been partnering with us and we are happy that we are in a position now to contribute significantly to the sporting infrastructure of the country,” the SVGFF head man related.

Dickson noted that no effort would be spared to deliver the Home for Football in the shortest possible time.

Already in place is the artist impression of what the facility would look like.

However, the SVGFF release disclosed that some updated designs will be forthcoming in 2022.

Staying with the job at hand and continuing to carry out the mandate, Dickson declared, “Football is the most popular sport in the country, and as executive, we have to continue to develop the sport in all facets.”