BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN official groundbreaking ceremony for a multi-million national football technical centre was held yesterday (Jun. 22) at the White Gate Grounds in St. Peter’s.
This Goal Project II Technical Centre, is another project of the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association in collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Contract for the construction of the project was awarded to Lennox Warner and Partner Construction Company.
As understood, Goal Project I was the Football House located on Lozac Road in Basseterre which was officially opened in 2008.
Yesterday, a cheque in the amount EC$100 000 was presented to President of the SKNFA Anthony Johnson and Prime Minister and Minister of Lands the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas by President of CONCACAF Jeffrey Webb who is also FIFA’s Vice President.
SKNFA’s General Secretary Stanley Jacobs gave an overview of the project overview.
He shared that the estimated cost for the project is EC$3.5 million and would be done in two phases.
Jacobs disclosed that centre would have a lecture hall to accommodate 100 persons, video and audio visual capabilities, a medical room for aid treatment, library archive, national hall of fame centre, fitness centre, and accommodation unity to house two football teams.
He said that phase two will see two full-sized football pitches and there would be two floor levels, with the upper floor consisting of the accommodation unit.
In his address, PM Douglas commended the SKNFA for its vision and planning of the project which has lead up to it becoming a “reality”.
Dr. Douglas disclosed that the area chosen was an “appropriate site” and noted that another location was looked at in Sandy Point at La Valle. He however stated that he was pleased with the decision to have settled in St. Peter’s and labelled it a “wise choice”.
He expressed confidence that the facility would be renowned for the benefits to football players and football enthusiasts as well as to “our proud nation with the a move forward on a policy to make St. Kitts-Nevis a sports tourism nation”.
Dr. Douglas talked about the benefits of being involved in sports and pointed out that healthy bodies make healthy minds.
He listed the intangible self-development advantages which stems from the involvement in organised sports which inculcates discipline, development of self-respect and respect for others, adherence to rules and regulations while enabling players to recognise non-violent conflict resolutions and an overall development of character.
President of Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Gordon Derek made mention to a well-known saying that if one continues to do the same thing the same way it would bring the same results and opined that “sometimes worse”.
He described the building of the Technical Centre as “an exceptional way of thinking outside the box”.
He went on to say that the centre would be the “cornerstone” for the upward movement of football in St. Kitts-Nevis.
Derek told the SKNFA: “As you think so you are. You have to think being a winner”, adding that the organisation should think of itself “as the best, then everything else would follow”.
Those who turned the sod, in the first instance, were St. Kitts-Nevis Governor General Sir Edmond Lawrence; PM Douglas; Gordon Derek; FIFA’s Regional Development Officer Howard McIntosh; Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports, Information Technology, Telecommunications and Post Glenn Phillip; and Jeffrey Webb, President of CONCACAF and FIFA’s Vice President.
Additionally, owner of the company that was awarded the contract to construct the facility, Lennox Warner and a few of his employees as well as Project Consultant Glenna Evelyn of SKNFA were among others who symbolically participated in the groundbreaking ceremony.
Various youth football clubs representatives attended yesterday’s event, including those involved in Grassroots projects under the wings of the SKNFA.
