TEAMING UP

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus and the Caribbean Football Trust Ltd have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as they seek to help develop the sport in the island and across the region.

Board member of the Caribbean Football Trust David Hinds, and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Professor V Eudine Barriteau, signed the documents to make the initial process official on Thursday.

Also present was Roland Butcher, Head Coach of the Academy of Sport at the UWI Cave Hill, and he noted that the MOU will see UWI and the Caribbean Football Trust collaborate in a number of areas.
Initially the MOU will be for three years, and then the option to advance it will be discussed.

“One of the interesting areas is the idea of a College League – which is really needed in this region as the UWI has good and talented footballers”, but they suffer from a lack of exposure and competition.

Butcher mentioned that the UWI games only takes place every two years, but that only takes in to consideration the UWI campuses and Open Campuses. However, the League will run in each country such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. It will take into account all the tertiary institutions in each island and then from that league one will get two teams coming out for a tournament.

Butcher stressed that the MOU is aimed at improving the standard of football in the region and giving more opportunities to players within tertiary institutions.

“...I don't think an association in any country in the Caribbean is big enough to touch all the areas of development of the sport; we are small countries with limited funding and it is a tremendous burden on the FAs (Football Associations) and they need as much help as possible.

"If the University of the West Indies can be involved in helping the association to develop the spor,t then we are pleased to do that.”
(CG)