The Barbados Football Association (BFA) was founded in 1910
and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010.
Bridgetown,
Barbados – The Barbados Football Association
(BFA) has today announced the launch of a fourth community football ‘hub’ in
Passage Road St. Michael as part of the continued roll out of the National
Peace Program (NPP) in collaboration with the Government of Barbados.
The BFA is
contributing to the NPP by conducting on-field sessions such as basic football
skills with off-field sessions such as social media awareness and conflict
resolution that are designed to educate, inspire, and empower young people
through football in various community ‘hubs’ such as Pinelands, Deacons, Eden
Lodge, and now Passage Road.
The new
hub was officially launched last week and marks the exciting expansion of the
football component of the multifaceted national outreach program.
Leading
the project is BFA Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James who said the BFA
was delighted to collaborate with the NPP and with local communities in a
unique partnership that uses football as the agent to create positive change
for youth in Barbados.
“I am very
pleased with the progress we have made. It really is a collaboration in the truest
sense of the word, and none of this would be possible without the relentless efforts
of the Hub Coordinators, Coaches, community volunteers, parents, and all staff
involved, including of course the Government of Barbados and the representatives
of the National Peace Program,” she said. “Launching this new hub at Passage
Road has been such an important step in the evolution of the Program. It
started with just two players, and within less than two weeks we now have over 20
young people keen to be part of the Passage Road Hub moving forward.”
NPP Acting
Director Alison Roach-Plummer echoed these sentiments.
“The National
Peace Program is pleased with the progress of the football arm of the project,
and it is great to see our nation’s young people being engaged in a variety of positive
activities through football,” she said. “Sport is a wonderful tool to impact
people’s lives, and the benefits go way beyond the pitch. The focus on using both
on-field and off-field activities in these community football hubs highlights
the holistic essence of our Program, and we sincerely thank the BFA for their
dedication and collaboration in ensuring it continues to be a resounding
success.”
Following on
from last week’s hub launch, the BFA and the Barbados NPP joined forces with
Pinelands F.C. and the Trinidad NPP to participate in a show of regional
solidarity in the form of a community peace march, which culminated in a
‘friendly’ football match between Barbados and Trinidad on Sunday.
In an initiative spearheaded by Pinelands F.C., each
country’s team comprised of local NPP community hubs players coming together as
one to compete for national bragging rights, of which Trinidad emerged victorious
2-1.
BFA President Randy Harris said he was encouraged to
see the BFA making a meaningful contribution to the national community outreach
program and reiterated the Association’s commitment to sustainable football
development on the island.
“What we
are seeing here is a true exemplar of the overarching FIFA philosophy that ‘football
unites the world’, and we can see first-hand at a local level that football has
the power to unite and strengthen our communities in real ways,” he said. “The
BFA remains firmly committed to long-term football development in Barbados, and
that means getting out into these grassroots communities and working with our youth
to expose them not only to the sport at a young age but also to provide them with
educational opportunities and guidance towards pathways for development. The
inclusion of football as part of the National Peace Program sends a strong
message about the importance of football to the fabric of our society, and
given it is one of the most popular sports on the island, it is my sincere hope
that this is just the beginning of a strong and fruitful partnership between the
BFA and the Government, for the betterment of all facets of football in
Barbados and for our communities at large.”
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Photo caption: Kerry Skeete External Facilitator for NPP/BFA
Football Hubs, Amanda James BFA Special Projects Coordinator, Danico Watson NPP
Change Agent, Kent Hall National Tridents Men’s Head Coach and BFA Interim
Technical Director, Ramon Jamal Hewitt NPP Change Agent, Andrew Tudor Passage
Road Hub Football Head Coach and Hub Coordinator, and Gillian Martindale
Passage Road Hub Fitness Trainer, with local participants at the launch of the
new Passage Road Hub last week.
Media
enquires:
Amy
Goulding
BFA Communications Director
+1 (246) 820 8695
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