FEMALE football players competing at the school level had long been a dream. In early December the inaugural Inter Schools’ Female Football Tournament with sponsorship from the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) concluded at the SAB Playing Facility making that dream a reality.
The tournament was one of many sponsored by LUCELEC in the National School Sports Programme. Education Minister Dr Robert Lewis commented recently that “the sporting programme in our schools is very important to the development of young people and LUCELEC continues to be the biggest sponsor in that regard.” He took the opportunity to congratulate and thank the power company for that support.
The Minister was at the time addressing the opening of the LUCELEC Electronics Workshop at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) and was building on his observation that LUCELEC was making significant contributions to national development in a wide range of areas.
The company’s support for the National School Sports Programme began in 2012, when LUCELEC made a three year, $150,000.00 commitment to the programme of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports. This year, the company continued its support contributing another $50,000.00 to the Ministry while noting possible areas for improvement in the planning and execution of the school sports calendar.
LUCELEC also built on its relationship with the Castries Football Council and its Youth Football Tournament which the company has supported since inception. Concluding its seventh year in November, the tournament has grown to include fifteen youth clubs and boasts competition in four divisions. The level of LUCELEC sponsorship has also grown and is now $11,000.00.
In addition, LUCELEC is the main sponsor of the National Schools Tennis Tournament, contributing $7,500.00 to organizers, the National Tennis Centre. The tournament also ended in November with record participation from schools around the island.
The company also contributed $5,000.00 to the St Lucia Amateur Swimming Association for participation in the 25th OECS Swimming Championships where 34 swimmers from St. Lucia competed to a second place finish against Antigua.
LUCELEC Corporate Communications Manager Roger Joseph explains the company’s philosophy behind sponsorship of sports.
“LUCELEC believes that St. Lucia is blessed with talent. Very often whether that talent gets discovered or developed is a consequence of opportunity. If young people don’t get opportunities to develop these talents and to excel at them, then that talent remains latent. We see ourselves as having the resources and the shared responsibility in helping to provide these opportunities for young people,” says Joseph.
These major contributions from LUCELEC are in addition to sponsorship of medals for individual school sports meets across the country and other grass roots projects such as the 2nd annual Big Players Walk in Marchand in September.