By Senator Toni Daniels, Shadow Minister for Youth & Sport, May 4, 2012

The One Bermuda Alliance believes the Government owes Bermuda a full explanation for reneging on its multi-million dollar commitment to the Bermuda Football Association.

By failing to invest the promised funds, the BFA has been forced to cut critically important youth programmes and make several employees redundant, including its Youth Director.

The public will recall, to great fanfare, the PLP Government’s pre-election promise in 2007 that it would give the BFA $15 million over five years for football development. The funding was to help the BFA realize its long-term strategic plan to raise the level of football throughout Bermuda, particularly by developing youth football. The investment was also to be used to provide scholarship opportunities for young athletes to “make positive contributions to Bermuda.”

The long-term development of our athletes through consistent and dedicated programmes garners results as evidenced by the recent World Cup campaign.

On the basis of the Government’s ‘commitment’, the BFA expanded its administrative capabilities to meet its strategic objectives by creating new positions and enhancing its youth programmes.

But after a grant of $3 million in Year One, Government funding support fell away drastically. It gave the BFA $1.5 million in Year 2, $750,000 in Year 3 and just $400,000 this year. [1]

The fall-off in funding gutted the BFA’s ability to fulfill its strategic plan, forcing it to cut jobs. In addition to the BFA’s Youth Director, the Programme Director and Financial Controller will also lose their jobs at month’s end. Furthermore, we understand the Government’s failure to provide the BFA with promised support also prompted the Association to postpone its Legend scholarships for student athletes.

The good work of the BFA helps provides children and adolescents with many critically important life lessons including discipline, teamwork and healthy living.

It is proven that countries that fail to invest in their youth pay a dear price in terms of future anti-social behavior, crime and unemployment. Therefore, the Minister of Youth & Sport needs to explain the decision to renege on its investment in the BFA.