The Barbados Football Association (BFA) was founded in 1910
and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010.
Bridgetown,
Barbados – Reaffirming its commitment to use
the power of football to help develop the nation’s youth, the Barbados Football
Association (BFA) hosted a community tour on Saturday to celebrate the continued
success of its partnership with the National Peace Program (NPP), in
collaboration with the Government of Barbados.
Through
this partnership, the BFA currently facilitates both ‘on-field’ and ‘off-field’
theoretical, educational, and practical sessions designed to empower young
people in five local community ‘hubs’ – Pinelands, Deacons, Eden Lodge, Passage
Road, and the newly-launched Brittons Hill hub – aligning with the
Association’s vision to use football to create positive social change for youth
in Barbados.
The community
tour was attended by BFA Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James, External
Facilitator for NPP/BFA Football Hubs Kerry Skeete, Passage Road Hub Fitness
Trainer Gillian Martindale, Passage Road Hub Football Head Coach and Hub
Coordinator Andrew Tudor, and local children aged 8 – 14 years from the Passage
Road community hub.
Led by BFA
Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James, the children were treated to a bus
ride to Paradise Nature Park for a tour of the animal and nature sanctuary, then
stopped off at King George V Memorial Park for an afternoon of football games,
a mini training session, and a picnic lunch.
James said
she was delighted with the attendance on this first community tour, confirming
that the BFA intends to host a series of community hub tours in the coming
weeks.
“It was
lovely to see the children’s dedication to participating in all of the BFA and
NPP hub activities, and it just shows how much they really enjoy all aspects of
the program,” she said. “Our mission, in collaboration with the National Peace
Program, is to continue to assist to strengthen our nation’s youth in a
holistic manner and to engage them in a variety of positive activities, using
football as the driving force. It takes a village to raise a child, and the BFA
are thrilled to be a part of such a life-changing program for Barbadian youth,
families, and our local communities.”
BFA President Randy Harris echoed these sentiments.
“The youth are the future. This is true in both
football and in wider society, and the BFA remains firmly committed to putting
youth and community outreach initiatives, such as our collaboration with the
National Peace Program, at the forefront of the Association’s agenda and to continuing
to make valuable contributions to the future of football in Barbados, and to
the future of our nation.
We live and breathe the FIFA mantra of ‘football
unites the world’, and the BFA’s participation in this program shows us on a
local level how much of an impact sport, particularly football, can have in our
communities, and these benefits extend way beyond the pitch.
I am pleased to see the BFA’s involvement in the continued
success of the football arm of the National Peace Program and commend its
multifaceted approach to national sporting and community development.”
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Caption: (left to right) Passage Road Hub Football Head
Coach and Hub Coordinator Andrew Tudor, External Facilitator for NPP/BFA
Football Hubs Kerry Skeete, Passage Road Hub Fitness Trainer Gillian Martindale,
and BFA Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James, with children from the
Passage Road community hub on Saturday’s tour.
Media
enquires:
Amy
Goulding
BFA Communications Director
+1 (246) 820 8695
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