Saint Lucia Kicks Off FIFA-Backed School Football Initiative

Aspiring footballers across Saint Lucia are set to benefit from enhanced coaching, thanks to a new programme launched by the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) in collaboration with FIFA, the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, and the Ministry of Education.

The FIFA For Schools (F4S) Programme kicked off on Thursday at the Bay Gardens Inn, with physical education officers from 23 primary schools in attendance. Friday featured theory sessions led by FIFA F4S manager Antonio Buenaño Sánchez, followed by a football festival on Saturday at La Fargue Playing Field in Choiseul.

Endorsed by UNESCO, the F4S programme aims to make football more accessible to boys and girls worldwide by integrating the sport into school curricula. It focuses on fostering life skills, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global priorities.

SLFA President Lyndon Cooper emphasised the pivotal role of teachers in developing the sport. “Schools and teachers are crucial to football’s growth,” he said.

Cooper cited success with the association’s Under-12 boys’ programme ahead of the new cycle beginning in April.  

“What’s significant about the current cycle ending this month is that we’ve sustained a six-month school competition unprecedented for us,” he said. He expressed gratitude for government support, saying the new programme had been oversubscribed, such was the demand.

Representing the Ministry of Education, education officer Dave Albert, a veteran coach and teacher, also noted the great interest from schools islandwide, some of which expressed their disappointment that they couldn’t get involved from the start. 

“The ministry fully endorses this programme and will ensure its longevity,” Albert said. “I urge participating teachers – and those who will join later – to be innovative. For the first time, we have an app with guided lesson plans, and we must maximise this opportunity.”

The programme includes a free digital application accessible via Google Play and the Apple App Store, an online learning platform with content for stakeholders, equipment including Adidas footballs that will be distributed to schools, and a one-off US$50 000 administrative payment to each member association.