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Last Updated: Mar 6th, 2008 - 11:16:44 |
The BVI Football Association was founded in 1974 and became a member of Federation of International Football Associations in 1996. Becoming members of FIFA has been an achievement on its own. It came with great sacrifice on behalf of a few, but has reaped benefits to all footballers in the B.V.I due to the impetus of funding and technical support that can be accessed from FIFA. Despite the financial and technical assistance that came with our membership in FIFA, the football association has not been able to move forward. Our success as a football association had been impede by a lack of physical infrastructures, poor political structure, a lack of cooperation from the membership, and the lack of a clear vision that is understood and supported by the organization as a whole. If we ask the questions: What business are we in? What are we trying to achieve? How do we measure our success? The answers should reveal that our ultimate goal is to achieve success for our national teams. But how is success achieved? How can we pool our limited resources to achieve this success? How can we achieve this success together as an organization? The challenged before us may seem an uphill battle, but getting to our destination could be a downhill finish if we can work together to find a strategy to get there. THE ASSOCIATION The BVI Football Association is the National Association of the British Virgin Islands. Over the history of the Association, I have noticed that predominantly, non BVI Islanders have been representing the BVI in football. Elected officers, chosen by an electorate dominated by expatriates, have directed the administration of the association. This political structure has created a distortion to the goals of the association, and has helped to create a fragmented body with no unified will in achieving anything. If we take a SWOT analysis of the association we can identify the following: Strengths The membership is small and does not require a large amount of resources to function. There is a great love of the game by the people that participate in the leagues. The Football Association has been able to develop and manage a popular youth program that is capable of reaching all the schools in the BVI. The BVIFA has developed programs for youth, women, and men in resent past. With club competition for men in Road Town and Virgin Gorda, 7-A-Side in East End, Beach competition on Tortola, and women and youth leagues on Tortola and Virgin Gorda. Weaknesses The adult membership is made up of ninety-nine percent non-nationals. There is a lack of a democratic process for leadership selection within the clubs/teams, and leagues. Teams are not properly constituted as clubs. Communication with the membership is poor. There are not enough fields for playing football matches and to train. There are not enough train technical personnel and administrators. Opportunities Most sports in the BVI are not community based. Football could be played in the three main residential areas of East End, Road Town, and Virgin Gorda, and could become community based. Through our organized programs with the youth, we can partnership with the BVI Government to deliver social programs aimed at reaching young men and women. There are a growing number of school age children that can be recruited into our programs. The FIFA Goal Project funding can be used to provide much needed facilities that could benefit all B.V.Islanders. The Football Association can be restructured with relative ease to enable broader participation. Treats The clubs and affiliates are not complying with the BVIFA Constitution that dictates the structure of clubs. The BVIFA is not complying with FIFA/CONCACAF statutory requirements. Not enough Virgin Islands nationals to make up the BVI national teams. Proper budgeting and control on spending of the FIFA and general BVIFA funds. Conflict of interest with the administrators in the Clubs, Leagues, and the Executive Committee Not enough Government support in developing facilities in Road Town, East End, and Virgin Gorda to play the sport. The mission of the Association should be to develop a structure that would enable the continued development of the game, its members and our national teams, and establishing a close bond between football and the community, which it serves. This will help us to realize our vision of having competitive national teams that represent the B.V.I. In my next issue I will examine the structure of the Football Association and offer a practical approach in overcoming our hindrances to be
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Rangers - Virgin Gorda Football League and Knockout Champions, 2006. |
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