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.”
