CFU endorses Digicel/ Chelsea FC Soccer Academy in Barbados

nOVEMber 2013, Volume 1, Issue 9, Caribbean Football Union Newsletter
Articles Inside
CFU endorses Digicel/ Chelsea FC
Soccer Academy in Barbados
P
resident of the
Caribbean Football
Union (CFU), Gordon
Derrick, says the 2013
Digicel Chelsea Football
Kick-Start
Academy
held in Barbados, is a
pivotal step towards
the development of
young players across
the Region.
CFU President endorses
Soccer Academy in Barbados.
In an interview with the
CFU Beacon, Mr. Derrick
revealed his thoughts about the partnership and explained why the CFU is enthusiastic
about supporting the venture.
Participants get their instructions at the Chelsea/Digicel Clinic.
CFU’s Sonia Bien-Aime assumes
Executive duties at CONCACAF
“Whenever you can find an established, professional football club such as Chelsea FC and
a dedicated sponsor like Digicel, it is a win-win scenario for all young footballers in the
Caribbean as well as our coaches who have participated. This Academy augurs well for the
U-17 and U-20 competitions being staged next year, as all CFU countries now turn their
attention to Russia 2018. The youth of the CFU are the future of the CFU; with this quality
coaching provided by the academy the future looks extremely promising,” said Mr. Derrick.
The spectacular event took place from November 11 to 16 and involved 39 footballers from
12 countries, gathering at the historic Kensington Oval to be trained by the coaches of the
Chelsea FC Foundation.
Dominica FA pushing ahead with
10-year football development
plan
The Chelsea FC Foundation coaches are not only helping the players, but also dozens
of coaches around the Region – coaches who play a pivotal role in the growth and
development of the sport.
CFU endorses Digicel/ Chelsea FC Soccer Academy
in Barbados
According to Senior International Football Development
Officer of the Chelsea FC Foundation, David Monk: “Digicel
and Chelsea FC have invested in numerous grassroots
coaching workshops that have been amazingly beneficial
to the development of coaches and players, who now have
the opportunity to work with one of the biggest football
clubs in the world and also one of the biggest brands in
the world. We are confident that the development of
the Region’s football will continue thanks to the Chelsea
FC Foundation’s partnership with the Digicel Kick Start
Programme.”
During a brief opening ceremony on Monday November
11, Barbados’ Minister of Sport, Hon. Stephen Lashley also
lauded the effort.
Sports Minister Stephen Lashley converses with Chelsea F.C.’s Snr. Int’l. Football Development Officer David Monk.
“My Ministry, as part of its Youth Development Programme, utilizes football to bring positive messages to the “block culture”… What
has been discovered by our Youth Commissioners on the ground, is that football is the sport of interest in our communities and is
a channel through which sensitization can take place about a myriad of social issues including HIV/AIDS. It also creates a forum in
which leadership skills can be taught and team spirit built,” the Sports Minister explained.
President of the Barbados Football Association (BFA), Randy Harris, also commended Digicel for its initiative. “Digicel and Chelsea
Football Club are definitely making a difference in the quality of football that is being played in the region. I am confident that the
players who attended the Academy – including our own Barbadian players – will see an improvement in their game.”
Digicel and Chelsea first started working together in 2012, when Michael Essien, Yossi Benayoun and club Ambassador Graeme Le
Saux joined Foundation coaches and local children at a Digicel Kick Start clinic in Miami, Florida.
Digicel Barbados Commercial Director, Alex Tasker, reaffirmed his company’s commitment to the project and extended thanks to
Chelsea FC for having confidence in the young people of the Region and acknowledging their talents.
Chelsea Foundation’s International Development Manager, Ian Woodroffe, said that this second year of the three year partnership
has been beneficial to both parties and to the young players.
‘For our part, even over the course of one year, we have seen real development in the focus on football in the Region and that is
what makes it worthwhile for us. This Region is brimming with talent, and together with Digicel, we want to make sure the structure
is there for these potential stars of the future to get noticed.”
CFU Executive Committee Meeting – Jamaica
The Executive Committee of the Caribbean Football Union met in Kingston,
Jamaica on November 23, 2013, to review its activities and to consider all
matters pertinent to the development of Caribbean football.
L-R, Back Row: Larry Mussenden, 2nd Vice-President (Bermuda), Lyndon Cooper,
3rd Vice-President (St. Lucia), Canover Watson, 4th Vice-President (Cayman Islands),
Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts/Nevis), Sonia Bien-Aime (Turks & Caicos Islands), Hillaren
Frederick (US Virgin Islands), Cheney Joseph, 1st Vice-President (Grenada), Maurice
Victoire (Martinique). Front Row, seated: Damien Hughes, General Secretary
(Anguilla), Gordon Derrick, President (Antigua)
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CFU’s Sonia Bien-Aime
CFU’s Soniaappointed
Bien-Aime
appointed
Executive
Executive Member
CONCACAF
Member ofof
CONCACAF
C
aribbean Football Union (CFU) Executive Member and
member of FIFA’s Executive Committee, Sonia Bien-Aime,
has added another achievement to her impressive career.
She was appointed an Executive Committee member of
the Confederation of North Central America and Caribbean
Association Football (CONCACAF) at its recent Executive meeting
held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
In welcoming her to the Executive, CONCACAF President Jeffrey
Webb said “It is a great source of pride for CONCACAF that Sonia
Bien-Aime is joining its Executive Committee. Her experience
and unique perspective will be invaluable as both CONCACAF
and FIFA continue to evolve. I applaud Sonia’s accomplishments
thus far and know that her impact moving forward will be
substantial.”
President of the CFU, Gordon Derrick, says Mrs. Bien-Aime’s
appointment has marked her out as a phenomenal presence
in regional and international football administration. “Sonia
continues to make her dynamic impact felt in a male-dominated
sport, and we are all the better for it. I am certain that she will
persist in the ways of excellence, and we, her Executive and
Member Association colleagues at the CFU are proud of her and
look forward to our mutually bright future.”
Mrs. Bien Aime told the CFU BEACON that she is ready for the
opportunities and challenges this new area of service will bring.
“I welcome and embrace this responsibility and will continue
to provide my best guidance to the development of football, in
Sonia Bien-Aime
particular women’s football in the Region. CONCACAF’s decision
to include the representation of a woman at the top table, speaks volumes about the Confederation and it gives young girls in our
Region hope and something to dream about.”
The Turks and Caicos Islands citizen was the Captain of the women’s national football team, and also represented the country
internationally in track and field and softball. In 2006, she was appointed General Secretary of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football
Association (TCIFA) and, in 2012, became the first woman elected to an executive position in the Caribbean Football Union.
Mrs. Bien-Aime is also a member of the Women’s Technical Committee and Deputy Chairperson of the Women’s Championship
Committee at CONCACAF. She also serves world football through four key standing committees at FIFA: The Organising Committee
for the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s Committee and FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Organizing Committee for the FIFA Under 20
Women’s World Cup and the Organizing Committee of the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup.
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Dominica’s FA pushing forward
with big plans for local and international football
I
n the midst of financial and other challenges, the Dominica
Football Association is planning to elevate its national football
to prominence on the regional and international stages.
This is part of an ambitious ten-year plan outlined by President of
the FA, Glen Etienne, when the BEACON spoke with him about the
current realities and future prospects for the country’s football.
President of the Dominica Football Association, Glen Etienne
Mr. Etienne says the FA is addressing one of its most vexing
problems: a lack of a Home stadium facility to stage tournaments
and to facilitate teams’ training needs. “Normally, we use Windsor
Park, but it is not a facility which is always available to us when
we need it. We need our own, dedicated facility that will allow
us to, among other things, collect revenue for games so we can
reinvest in our domestic projects. Many of the fields around the
country are open, and do not lend themselves to the possibility
of paid spectator access. With this in mind, we have identified
and prepared land in Stockfarm, and have applied to FIFA for
development assistance…all things being well, we think we will
have a new home ground sometime in 2014.”
According to Mr. Etienne, the completion of the facility will also assist in the Association’s quest to expand its major sponsorship
base from the current two, Domlec and LIME. “We are extremely grateful for their support, but they can’t do it alone. We are running
three Leagues without any form of sponsorship at this time, and we are particularly keen on having our Grass Roots Programmes
sponsored.”
This is the feeder into the competitions currently being contested in Dominica: the LIME Premier League and the Domlec Women’s
League, the latter of which will now feature two new teams, the Mahaut Soca Strikers and the Laplain Girls.
With regard to national football, the Dominica FA wants to ensure that the country’s current FIFA ranking of 169 is significantly
improved within ten years, and says the licensing of the island’s coaches to the highest level through current collaborations with
CONCACAF and the US Soccer Federation, will be fundamental to the development of the men’s and women’s teams.
“We intend to build a new national team, and have our sights on participating in a wide array of competitions: the Under-15,
Under-17, Olympic qualifiers, World Cup qualifiers, Caribbean Cup, and the Windward Island Tournament. In relation to Women’s
football, we intend to make our presence felt in the Under-15 Olympic qualifiers and FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
In the next decade, Dominca’s football teams will be among the top five in the CONCACAF, the talent is there and we just need to
continue to develop partnerships to ensure that the very best male and female talent is extracted, to ensure the greater glory of
our football.”
4
Bermuda’s
Nahki
Wells
returns to goal scoring form in English domestic football
A
sensational hat-trick by
Bermudian striker Nahki
Wells inspired his League One
club Bradford City to earn a 3-3
draw and a share of the points
as they seek promotion this
season.
Bermuda’s Nahki Wells
The 23 year old Bermudian
returned to the game late
last month after going off
during Bradford’s match
against Shrewsbury Town on
September 28 when he took a
hard knock to the foot causing
ligament damage.
Playing at their Valley Parade home Ground on November 17 against Coventry, it was the
visitors who took an early 2-0 lead inside of seven minutes, but Wells was equal to the task as
he netted in the 17th and 28th minutes.
Coventry again took the lead in the 42nd minute thanks to Callum Wilson and seemed destined
to take the full three points from the game. However, in the final minute of stoppage time, a long
pass forward from Stephen Darby saw Jordan Clarke, under heavy pressure from Bradford City’s
James Hanson, inexplicably handle the ball inside his own area.
Wells stepped up to the spot and calmly hammered home the penalty ensuring the 3-3 result
which leaves the Bantams, who last recorded a league win on October 5, in seventh spot, two
points outside the play-off places.
Wells’ 26 goals last season helped Bradford earn promotion from League Two.
It was the first time the Bermudian international had hit the target in two months, since his brace
earned Bradford a 2-2 draw against Colchester on September 14.
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CFU
Member Associations
Meet the Team - CFU Staff Members
A
s the Caribbean Football Union moves to provide greater levels of service to its Member Associations, partners and
friends, the BEACON uses this opportunity to introduce the CFU’s staff service team.
Judith Anderson
Director of Finance
janderson@cfufootball.org
Krista-Kaye Lalor
Accounting Clerk
klalor@cfufootball.org
Beverly Melbourne
Media Officer
bmelbourne@cfufootball.org
John-Mark Evans
Venue Manager
jevans@cfufootball.org
Latoya Dacosta
Director of Competitions
ldacosta@cfufootball.org
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Marilyn Brown
Marketing Manager
mbrown@cfufootball.org
Debra Shaw
Executive Assistant/Human Resources Manager
dshaw@cfufootball.org
Our Partners
For further information please contact the CFU General Secretariat, CFU Communications Dept
The Towers – 10th Floor • 25 Dominica Dr • Kingston 5 • Jamaica
Tel: +1(876) 754-4411 / 4657 • Fax: +1(876) 906-2973 • Email: media@cfufootball.org
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