The Saint Lucia Football Association [SLFA] Inc. held its 37th Congress, last Saturday, in Vieux Fort.
SLFA President Lyndon Cooper provided an overview of the developments over the past year, while highlighting some major issues…
He noted that the SLFA is focused on creating “additional opportunities …in order to get more feedback and stimulate more discussion” as the season progresses.
Cooper said, more opportunities will be created for the respective presidents from the affiliate leagues through a “president’s forum” intended to discuss “new trends and new practices and what to anticipate because of the shift in international policies”.
He informed the delegates that a “Referees Forum” will also be established in an effort for the officials “to enhance that area of the sport …and secondly, to solve all the challenges that they have encountered in the previous year and give them an opportunity to mingle with their peers in an organized setting, whereby they would be able to create more policies moving forward with the sport of football.”
“We have managed to begin the journey in regularizing technical directors, and we are now in the first phase where we have requested CONCACAF to create a manual for us,” said the SLFA president.
He added, the SLFA feels strongly that all technical directors should operate from the same level so as to make it easier to enhance the development of the sport.
“We have already completed the C’ License (course) for these technical directors as part of the requirements to format the manual for the zone,” said Cooper.
He said, the intention is to allow the technical directors to “buy into the philosophy of the sport at the national level …and understand that whatsoever happens at the international level will trigger -off or impact what happens at the national level”.
Additionally, the SLFA will also establish a “Coaches Forum”, which will initially entail a framework for implementation within the respective leagues.
The SLFA president stressed that technical meetings are convened specifically, to address issues pertaining to the national competitions and “not necessarily …to shape the policy framework of the SLFA.”
Cooper further informed that the SLFA “has managed to begin the process of stabilizing or building our two senior national teams” in an effort to professionalize the sport on island.
“We must go down that route …and if we hold on to the philosophy or the principle of developing the game and going to the next World Cup, its going to provide a continuous lift for the senior national teams,” he declared.
Cooper says Saint Lucia has gotten an “ideal opportunity” that through the creation of the Concacaf league for females, for players to compete at a higher level.
Within the next six (6) months there is going to be some major changes effected in the management and operations of the sport to beef up its image, the SLFA president noted.
He assured delegates that issues are going to be discussed internally, and two SLFA vice -presidents have been assigned to “look at the programs for 2023 – 2024 …se we will not have those hiccups that we have had in the past, especially when it comes to the compliance issues, in terms of competition.”
Cooper stated that the SLFA has also sought assistance from FIFA to assist with the development of the national female team, by requesting an allocation of funds outside the regulated structure.
“We have asked FIFA to help us create a Female League, so that the allocation and the resources that are giving to us, will not be within the financial regulations, so it will be easier for us to build the league and get the same allocation but under a different level,” he said.
Cooper asserted: “We have also committed to playing Female Club Football …we are discussing it and we hope to finalize it and make a final decision on that issue.”
[R.A].