Stagnation or regression?

It may not be worthwhile bemoaning the state of our Football, but once something hurts, then a response from those who care must be forthcoming.{{more}}

And, Football, undoubtedly, the most popular sport is into a deep recession of the willing minds.

Often times, the issues confronting the sport, are laid squarely at the feet at the administrators who were elected nationally. But the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation is a conglomerate of all the stakeholders. Therefore, we all have a say in the directing or re-directing the course of the ship.

Many of us have remained numb and at times give the impression that all is well with the sport, which could be interpreted by those in charge that they are doing a fantastic job.

Hence, there lies the root cause of the mire in which the sport immersed, leaving Football in a state of stagnation or retardation as some would prefer.

Systems are not activated to hold those holding the national mandate continuously accountable for their stewardship.

What obtains are annual general meetings and some periodic reports and updates. Some of the stakeholders of Football are only energized when the time is for Elections of an Executive to exercise their franchise and to ridicule and cast aspersions on one another.

They craft and enforce the notion that a prerequisite of being a Football administrator is that you must have played the sport at an acceptable level. Wrong!

The time may come necessary that if we are serious about taking Football to that attainable level that we have to look outside the traditional areas of management, and incorporate persons with other managerial skills, instead of hand picking persons who are involved intimately with the sport.

Whilst this may be a good background, it has been found to be detrimental, as often times, taking the moral high road on issues are shrouded by personal losses or gains.

Looking outside for administrative heft can also help tremendously to lift the image of the sport, which for too long has been tainted with calamitous perception.

And, as we have progressed through the years, this retardation has infiltrated the actual performance of our various representative teams.

Our continuous slide in the FIFA World Rankings is taken for granted and few efforts are made to enhance our status among first of all the Caribbean Football Union members, and the progression to a better position in CONCACAF.

Additionally, the fact that our footballers are not getting out there into the big leagues must be a source of worry. The simplest of our attractions, the Trinidad and Tobago semi professional league, cannot be hurdled as has done before. Neither are our young scholars getting into the US colleges.

Then we would continue our hue and cry and whine about sponsorship and lack of support from the commercial sector.

But we are the architects of our demise, as no one throws money at a passing breeze or gush of lukewarm air.

Neither are persons willing to be associated with uncertainty and undetermined pathway.

As it is, we are still embryonic and at times archaic in our thinking, hence retardation follows naturally

What is important is for us all to begin to develop a product which is marketable, then the other things will slip or forced into place.

Attacking the woes of Football must be a parallel one, both on and off the field.

The current Executive’s emphasis on the Grassroots and Youth Development Programmes as undertaken by the current Executive of the SVGFF is commendable.

The emergence of satellite academies across the state is encouraging, but must be carefully monitored, as we do not want our youngsters to be too regimental to the manual prescription. These youngsters must be granted elbow space to let their flair and natural talents to flourish.

At the other end, the other age group and senior teams must continue to get the opportunities for upward growth and development.

Let us come out from our present state or be eternally doomed.

Doom still looms for the continued existence of the Mound at the Sion Playing Field.