The original Sports Office in Anguilla, created into a full department of Government at the beginning of the year, now has its extended complement of staff and large sums of money to finance its operations and to fund various capital projects approved by the Executive Council. What is more is that a name change is being contemplated for the department and the choice, to be taken to ExCo shortly, is “Sports, Recreation and Parks.”

Sports Department Staff and Ministry Officials

Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, an avid sportsman, won the support of his colleagues in the Executive Council to have a well-developed Department of Sports administered as a separate entity away from Youth Affairs and Culture, another arm of his heavy ministry.

The Ministry and Department held a press briefing on Tuesday, October 9, at which sports personnel and the varied development programme were introduced. Permanent Secretary, Rodney Rey, noted that given the Government’s focus on social development and the need to engage the island’s youthful population in meaningful and wholesome activities, a lot more must be done.

He said Minister Rogers achieved a major victory in Executive Council when it was agreed that there should be the establishment of a full Department of Sports with effect from January 2007. It however took up to early September to get the required staff to work with the lone ranger, Sports Director, Alkins Rogers.

He introduced the staff whom he said had a passion for, and long involvement in, sports as follows: Alkins Rogers, Director; Wilma Proctor, Deputy Director; Eustace Guishard and Rollins Richardson, Programme Officers; and two administrative support staff members. Other sports officers are to be employed later.

Rogers and Proctor are responsible for policy development, strategic planning, budgeting and human resource management. Guishard has responsibility for the management and supervision of all parks, playgrounds and other sports infrastructure, supervision of maintenance and casual workers and coordination of infrastructural development. Richardson, the other Programme Officer, is responsible for supervision of all coaches and technical staff including working with the physical education teachers in the schools. He is also responsible for liaising with all sporting associations and the coordination of all sporting events. All of the officers present spoke about various matters and programmes under their charge.

The Minister of Sports pledged to work closely with the new team in the department and to ensure that the necessary financial resources are put into sporting facilities to lead to a healthier population and less strain on the health services.

Rodney Rey said that Minister Rogers was able to secure considerable increases in allocations on the recurrent and capital sides of the budget. He reported that by the end of 2007 the recurrent expenditure should be $1,398,188 for administration and capital expenditure $1,680,000. He also said that Government had allocated $540,000 for the National Football Stadium part of the 1.6 million dollars already contributed towards the project.

Among the list of projects outlined at the press briefing was the further development of the Ronald Webster Park. The Minister said arrangements were in hand to develop the park to international standards whereby Anguilla would be able to host a one-day international cricket match in the near future. He disclosed that he had encouraged a Structural Engineer and an Architect from Dominica to come to Anguilla to work with local technical personnel to develop the Webster Park into a cricketing facility which all Anguillians would be proud of. He said the two men, working with Chinese consultants, had been instrumental in the development of Windsor Park in Dominica which he had visited.

“This is a timely project in Anguilla,” Mr. Hodge said. “Our senior cricketers are doing very well without the facilities and hopefully when we get the facilities they will do a lot better.”

The Minister said Government had acquired 17.5 acres of land in the Cauls Pond area from Albert Lake for an athletic track at international standards and an aquatic centre including an Olympic size swimming pool. Negotiations are ongoing to acquire another six acres for the project. Efforts are also being made to acquire land at West End for sports development at the Alwyn Allison School there as well as land at East End for additional sporting facilities for the young people. There are also plans to use the land where the present school at Island Harbour is located for a sports area while a portion of land to the west will be for the new school building.

Other projects include a playing field at the Road School, now currently in progress with the assistance of St. Regis/Temenos and Flags Luxury Properties, a basketball court next to Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre, sports development work at Coronation Ball Field including bathrooms and lighting facilities; the completion of Campus B auditorium; the provision of basketball and cricket facilities at Blowing Point where Government recently purchased an area of land; the development of swimming and table tennis facilities and services; the further development of all sporting events from primary school level upwards.

Meanwhile, Wilma Proctor, the newest employee at the Sports Department, said: “As new staff members we have brought a passion for sports. Our goal is to ensure that this passion is retained and is shown by the work we do for the development of sports on Anguilla. We feel it is very timely for Government to recognise the importance of sports and what it can do for the youth.”

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