School sports will receive a more structured boost this year through the establishment of alumni associations across the country.
These associations will partner with schools to encourage further investment and organisation in school sports, with past students contributing to the development of the next generation of school athletes.
This initiative will be launched by the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, as announced by Minister Kenson Casimir at Monday’s pre-Cabinet press briefing.
“This year we will be allocating some finances into ensuring that we have alumni associations across the island. We’ve tried to have this done independently with schools doing it, but we are going to take it a step further because we know alumni associations are really going to change the landscape of sports in Saint Lucia.”
“We really do believe that St Mary’s College sports, if held on a Sunday, could be the biggest sporting event in Saint Lucia, bigger than Blackheart, bigger than Semi-Pro Football, bigger than CPL,” he said. “If they organise themselves, they can have a family fun day on a Sunday afternoon into the evening that would fill up the Daren Sammy Stadium.”
“We certainly hope that the other schools like Leon Hess, St Joseph’s Convent, and Castries Comprehensive, with past students who are influential in society, can really come together to develop the school squads program. And so, we will be identifying an individual who will be going into the schools to put the dynamics together to set up alumni associations. So, by next year, when we have the sports activities going on, we will see more of them on the weekend, more of them better organized, and bringing in more parents and society into the sporting landscape of Saint Lucia in the schools.”
Further details on the establishment of this initiative are expected to be announced at a later date.
