The game of football and Vincentian politics
Vincy Heat has just benefited from a significant upward movement on the FIFA Rankings to position # 85, the highest ever attained by any Vincentian football team.
Interestingly and perhaps sadly, before the national football team could bask in the glory of its latest improved ranking it has been given the boot from the Victoria Park, Kingstown.
The National Lotteries Authority, NLA, new custodians of the Victoria Park, has indicated that too much football is being played at the venue and hence the SVG Football Federation, SVGFF, can use it for competitions but not for practise purposes. At the same time the SVGFF has been duly communicated to by the National Sports Council, NSC, in respect of the latter being unaware of some of the competitions in which the organisation is expected to compete as well as some idea of its funding arrangements from the FIFA. This is of course related to the SVGFFs application for support funding to allow optimum participation in the upcoming competitions.
Training
The SVGFF has been involved in an ongoing national development programme where some six teams are currently in training and virtually expected to be so engaged all year. This means that it requires access to appropriate training venues if it is to impact the competitions in which these teams are involved.
The NSC has a mandate for the development and maintenance of sports facilities in St Vincent and the Grenadines. However in respect of outdoor facilities the Victoria Park has been placed under the National Lotteries Authority.
I have already stated the inappropriateness of this decision in a previous column and it is not necessary to repeat this here.
The fact of the matter is that the problem could easily have been resolved by a meeting of all the relevant organisations armed with a mandate so to do.