The Barbados Football Association (BFA) was founded in 1910
and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010.
Bridgetown,
Barbados – The Barbados Football Association
(BFA) has announced the launch of a sixth community football ‘hub’ in the Ivy
St. Michael as part of the continued roll out of the National Peace Program
(NPP) in collaboration with the Government of Barbados.
The new Ivy
community hub will be responsible for facilitating weekly ‘on-field’ and ‘off-field’
sessions such as fundamental football skills and conflict resolution that are specially
designed to engage and empower the nation’s youth.
Five other
community hubs in Pinelands, Deacons, Eden Lodge, Passage Road, and Brittons
Hill have already been launched by the BFA, in partnership with the NPP, as
part of the football component of the multifaceted national outreach program.
Speaking
at the launch on Tuesday evening, BFA Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James
said she was pleased to see the continued expansion of the Program through this
most recently launched hub, which will use football as an agent to create positive
change.
“Launching
a sixth community hub is a very special achievement and is the result of a dedicated
team of individuals as well as the continued collaboration between the BFA, the
National Peace Program, and our local communities,” she said. “Sport is a tool that
we can use to impact people’s lives, and I have no doubt that this new hub in
the Ivy will carry the baton forward and pave the way for us to have even more of
a positive impact on Barbadian children. We are looking forward to welcoming more
participants into this new hub, especially girls, and seeing our youth thrive
and excel with football as the driving force.”
Also
present at the launch was BFA Acting Technical Director Kent Hall, BFA
President Randy Harris, NPP Acting Director Alison Roach-Plummer, the Ivy hub
Coaches and officials, and local children and parents.
BFA
President Randy Harris said the launch of the new community hub was timely,
emphasizing the power of football to unite communities and promote social
cohesion.
“In the
wake of recent tragic events and the wave of local gun violence, the continued
roll out of the BFA’s collaboration with the National Peace Program is more
important now than ever,” he said. “We remain committed to partnering with this
holistic national initiative that is dedicated to strengthening our communities
and providing opportunities to our youth through football.
Football
is a place where communities can come together and put their differences aside,
and the BFA stands firm in our zero-tolerance policy towards violence of any
kind. I commend the Government of Barbados for their commitment to this Program,
and we stand with the Prime Minister, the Government and other entities, and of
course our local communities, to working together to carve out solutions that
will foster peace and unity amongst all Barbadians.”
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Photo caption: (left to right) BFA Acting Technical Director Kent
Hall, Ivy Hub Safeguarding and Administrative Officer Janelle Stevenson, Ivy
Hub Football Coach Bryan Neblett Blenheim, BFA President Randy Harris, BFA
Special Projects Coordinator Amanda James, and Ivy Hub Football Coach Peter
Wayne Sealy (image
credit: Nathan Goddard-McCarthy).
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