Sport in Anguilla was put on the front burner as a weeklong consultation process towards the first ever National Sports Policy, began on Monday July 4th, 2016 at the Raymond Guishard Center of Excellence conference room.
The process will facilitate the development of a shared vision for sport in Anguilla in the form of a National Sport Sector Plan. It will produce three documents namely, A National Sport Policy, A Strategic Plan (3-5 years) and A Monitoring & Evaluation Framework. The Department of Sports previously operated on a Strategic Plan.
The consultancy process, which was described as “for everyone”, is being undertaken by the Caribbean Sport and Development Agency (CSDA), Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Department of Sports. Permanent Secretary with responsibility for sports, Mrs. Chanelle Petty-Barrett, proclaimed: “The future of sports is not the single responsibility of a few of us – but all of us”. She noted that sports go beyond play and competition by providing environments for education and socialization for all citizens, as well act as a facility for social transformation and peace building. “Sport must also be acknowledged as a viable investment opportunity which can contribute significantly to our economic development”, she said. Mrs. Petty-Barrett also told the gathering that a policy framework which encompasses the vision and speaks to the people of Anguilla, can only be achieved through participation by all. She also noted that there is a need for greater investment and collaboration as Anguilla continues to churn out world class athletes and rising stars.
The need for the creation of a comprehensive strategy to address certain overarching concerns was expressed at a workshop delivered by the CSDA in Anguilla in 2015. The workshop focused on capacity building and concepts of good governance with the purpose of developing core competencies within the leadership of the national sporting associations and Department of Sports.
The CSDA serves as a regional hub for the development of sport initiatives in the Caribbean. It has previously worked and continues to work and collaborate with many regional and international agencies, including the Australian Sports Commission, UNITED WAY Trinidad and Tobago, CARICOM, UNICEF, Commonwealth Games Association of Canada, OCASPE, CANOC, the Regional Sports Academy (Suriname), University of the West Indies, and Government Departments of Youth, sport and Education, and other Sport and Development stakeholders. CSDA’s Directors, Mark Mungal and Andre Collins, are on Anguilla carrying out this initiative. Mr. Collins, at the forum on Monday, noted: “This is going to be a process this week of data collection from all the stakeholders. It is important for every single Anguillian to be a part of this process as it is you the people of Anguilla who will inform what your sport policy will be”. He also stated: “Sports has an important part to play in the development of people”.
Delano Mussington, Programme Officer-Sports, highlighted the importance of the participation of all in this process and sounded a call for assistance in determining “the best direction for sporting in Anguilla”. Further, “The goals and objectives which will be identified during this process, will chart the strategic direction for the Department of Sports”, he expressed.
The weeklong schedule of activities includes meetings with several Government Agencies and NGOs as well as town hall meetings and live radio interviews.
