Gianni Infantino sat down with Lyndon Cooper at FIFA’s bureau in the French capital.
There the positive impact of the FIFA Forward initiative on the Caribbean nation was discussed in addition Future development plans were also a central theme of the talks
Saint Lucia Football Association President Lyndon Cooper outlined three key areas when he
discussed his country’s FIFA Forward 3.0 plans with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The pair met at FIFA’s Paris hub to talk about a number of themes from the air travel problems Caribbean countries face to coach education in the region. Also on the agenda were the island nation’s plans to push on with its development of the game.
Coach education, infrastructure and the development of youth players replied President
Cooper when asked in which areas the next tranche of FIFA Forward funds could help change the face of football in his country.
The programme has already helped them take some major steps forward. A new set of
floodlights will soon be put into action on the island while plans to improve seating and fencing at the Saint Lucia Football Technical Center, which President Infantino visited in 2019, are already in place.
The FIFA Forward programme was created to assist countries such as Saint Lucia in their work developing football domestically, and they have made extremely positive use of the funds available to them, said President Infantino.
“I’m convinced they will continue to strive towards cementing football’s place in their country’s sporting landscape.”
A further step towards that is the introduction of a domestic women’s league, which is on the verge of being implemented, and will give a significant boost to women’s football in the country.
“For sure, it is not where we wanted it to be. We think we can do much better,” said President Cooper. “But I can tell you we have been speaking to FIFA’s Women’s department in order to establish a women’s league. It has gotten approval from FIFA, and it’s our intention to commence the establishment of this league in the next two to four months.”
SOURCE: Saint Lucia Football League Inc
