The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association today extends warmest congratulations and welcome to the newly appointed Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Honourable Darryl Smith.
In a statement earlier today, TTFA President Mr. Raymond Tim Kee wrote: “Congratulations on your new role as Sports Minister. It’s reassuring to have leadership in the Department of Sport and Youth Affairs from someone who understands the grassroots and sporting issues of the country, and who has also been actively involved.”
“I am confident your passion for sport, in particular football, and for Trinidad and Tobago, will see you work tirelessly for the development of sport in our beloved country.
“Nothing fosters a sense of shared national identity better than the country taking part in global sporting competitions as has been evident at the 2006 World Cup and our appearances at other world events, cricket World Cups and Athletic meets such as the Olympic Games.
Sport increasingly crosses cultural and political boundaries in a way that few other activities can. It's about really building a society, a nation, a country. Sport has something to offer people at all ages. We are confident that you will lead this charge.
We at the TTFA look forward with great anticipation to getting the ball rolling with you, Honourable Minister and your Ministry. Again, we take this opportunity to extend best wishes to you in your new role and look forward to working with you.
RELATED NEWS
Sports Minister shows much potential.
By Anand Rampersad (Guardian).
Minister Darryl Smith’s early intention to engage in a consultative participatory approach to oversee the development of sport is a promising start to his mandate.
By stressing the importance of the voices of athletes and communities through which sport is manifested, he is accentuating their significant role in effective policy formulation and execution.
Furthermore, the consultative participatory approach can be extended to other key players such as sporting bodies, education authorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The general population can also be part of the consultative participatory process by having access to detailed reports of sporting programmes that were implemented in the past and those that are too implemented. This will allow the public to assess how their monies have and are being utilised.
Minister Smith’s comments are in keeping with the PNM’s manifesto component on sport (http://pnm.org.tt/images/pdf/PNM_Manifesto_2015.pdf p62-64). The theme stresses the importance of promoting the country’s athletes internationally, building a sporting industry while at the same time encouraging a healthy nation. To achieve these objectives some of the points highlighted were:
Data collection once again becomes an important feature of the sport planning cycle to ensure that the entire process is efficient and effective. Efficient monitoring and evaluative practices have to become normative in the overall process. This is also important to taxpayers and private enterprises whose monies are used for funding. Additionally, the availability of data and programme reports for public information should be easily accessible.
Funding is a critical aspect of developing every aspect of sport. The State needs to develop strategic relationship with the private sector especially foreign companies to make a decisive contribution to sport. Furthermore, the State needs to consider using the NLCB to fund a greater percentage of sport as happens in England. This recommendation was made in the Report of the Steering Committee for the Establishment of a National Sporting Authority 1988.
The consultative approach, if it becomes the modus operandi of the Minister and his steering committee, should ensure that any approach to dealing with social problems such delinquency through sport does not repeat the gross costly catastrophes of the LifeSport Programme. An assessment of the successes and failures of the Hoop of Life approach should be conducted and made public. The current administrators as well as the public need to be informed if desired results of the $36M expenditure was justified or whether a more efficient approach could have been implemented.
The continued success of athletes is clearly dependent upon a transparent strategic roadmap even more so in the context of economic difficulties.
Minister Smith has to guard against the “gimme gimme” cultural trait that Prime Minister Dr Rowley has unequivocally, and rightly so, called to end, as it can easily seep into sport. Strong leadership, effective planning and decision making and open communication will go a long way toward realising the sporting goals and objectives of Minister Smith’s mandate.
Highlights
• Increase the pool of talent from which world champions can emerge for international recognition,
• Promote sports as a way to curb crime and social skills,
• Use sports to foster greater communication and understanding amongst different communities, races, creeds in T&T,
• Increase participation opportunities for underrepresented groups in particular disabled persons, women, girls and the vulnerable youth and improve physical facilities to cater for this targeted group of persons,
• Improve the availability of information of sports involvement by conducting a National Sport and Recreational Census,
• Actively develop and promote Sport Tourism,
• Provide incentives for the growth and development of professions allied to Sport, such as Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy, and Sports Media,
• Develop a Domestic Sport Research Database by performing a bi-annual survey which will establish benchmark, improvements to the local sport industry and provide a comprehensive data for sports and recreation,
• Create a Sports Institute of Trinidad and Tobago that will capture and hone the skills of young athletes while growing and modernising the Sports Industry.
The overall development of sport should be assessed on at least four (4) objective and interlocked platforms:
• Research through consultation with all major stakeholders including athletes, communities, sport administrators (present and past), the business community, and the universities. Research offers the benefit of providing information about different aspects of sport such as: i) Issues facing athletes- financial resources, medical, coaching etc. ii) Administrative challenges-funding, organisation human capacity etc. iii) Community challenges- participation rates and demographic characteristics, facilities, coaching, coordination of activities etc.
In other words research helps to minimise speculation and ‘guesstimating’ which sadly has been the norm upon which expensive sporting decisions have been made.
• The research data should become the major ingredient for the formulation relevant policies to guide the development of sport and sport development processes. Questions about the relevancy of the current National Sport Policy (2002) (http://static.sport.gov.tt/images/pdf/programmes/national_sport_policy.pdf) need to be asked.
• Implementation, monitoring and evaluation should form the basis of evaluating the data driven sport policies. The implementation role of the SporTT Company needs to be assessed to decide whether it will continue as is or if revamping is required for greater efficiency.
Minister ‘storms’ radio show.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Host delighted with visit
Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith provided early evidence on how he intends to approach his job when he made an impromptu visit to the studios of I95 on Saturday evening and took part in the weekly sports show hosted by the popular Andre Baptiste.
The programme, which started around 6.15 pm and included among the panel Guardian Sports Editor Valentino Singh, well known sports promoter Tony Harford and investigative sports reporter Lasana Liburd, was into its first ten minutes, when to the surprise of the quartet, the minister entered the studio and joined the discussion.
Pointing out that he was an avid follower of the programme, the minister who had just attended the Secondary Schools match between St Mary’s and St Anthony’s Colleges, gave a brief history of his involvement in sport as a national youth footballer, and pointed out that anyone who knew him would testify to his passion for sport.
The quartet was impressed at the ease with which Smith responded to their questions, promising that he intends to be in the ministry for the full five years.
“I don’t want my legacy to be about buildings. I want it to be about our athletes, not only those who are national athletes but all the young people who would want to use sport as a social tool to improve their lives.”
Reminded that sport and culture were the two major areas of the nation’s life that united the people, but which appeared to be treated as ‘lightweights’ by government, Smith said he has no doubt that under the current leadership of the new Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, this would change.
“I believe that Dr Rowley, more than any other Prime Minister understands the value of sport. After all, he is still involved in sport almost on a daily basis through his love for golf. I am sure he knows what sport can do for a nation, and I have little doubt he will make sure we get as fair treatment as possible.”
Smith revealed that he was on the job minutes after being sworn into office. This included meeting with staff at both the Ministry of Sport and the Sports Company of T&T. “I toured all the floors, met everyone who was present and I think there is a sense of relief among the workers.”
Told by the panel that there appeared to be lots of tension and demotivated people at the Ministry, Smith promised to bring the work environment up to be acceptable standards, even if it meant relocating the ministry.
He promised to listen to the voice of stakeholders before making decisions, and to ensure that the legacy of the country’s sporting personalities received the respect it deserved through the national sports archives.
Told by Baptiste that most ministers appeared on his programme when they first come into office and then refused to return, Smith promised that he would be the exception.
“There is a lot to be done, I have no doubt, and at the end of my five years, I intend to be available to return for you all to judge me.”
The panellists later agreed that the minister’s decision to make his way to the studio was a refreshing move that augurs well for the future.
Baptiste noted it was the first time that a minister had exercised such an initiative, and he was surprised, pleased and looking forward to the Minister returning in the future.