Barbados football is about to get a major lift; specifically, in the female game, thanks to the vision and generosity of a former national player.
Former national senior men’s captain Emmerson Boyce and his team from the Emmerson Boyce Foundation and Team You, have joined forces with the Barbados Football Association (BFA) to transform and develop female football on the island.
Boyce, a sterling defender and leader, captained the Tridents from 2008 until 2016 during his international career and according to him, since the first time he wore the jersey for the national team he wanted to leave an everlasting stamp on the island.
After nine years of planning, Boyce said he thought the time was right to put his plans into motion with the main purpose of providing opportunities and developing young people holistically.
“The reason I wanted to do a football programme is; sports have the power to impact a lot of people’s lives.
The can provide opportunities for the next generation, especially in communities to enhance their own personal development.
I want to give young people the opportunities in the learning platform but as well as the sports side”, Boyce explained.
The Aylesbury born Boyce has joined forces with former professional referee and English FA referee instructor Janie Frampton to create an educational platform which coincides with the principles of the Emmerson Boyce Academy.
According to Boyce, things such as teaching and developing life skills, inspiring entrepreneurs, providing scholarship opportunities and exchange programmes are some of the items on the agenda created with Frampton.
There are even greater plans to include an education package with hopes of making it a part of a university curriculum for credits. These plans were shared with some of the major stakeholders on the island and Boyce stated that he received a warm reception and cooperation from government ministers John King, Santia Bradshaw and Dwight Sutherland, along with National Sports Council Director of Sports Neil Murrell and Barbados Football Association (BFA) president Randy Harris.
With firsthand information and experience of the growth of the female game, Boyce said his decision to target female football was an easy one as that genre of the game is growing at a rapid pace and there are countless opportunities for females. He further mentioned that for this reason a Memorandum of Understanding between the Emmerson Boyce Foundation and the BFA was absolutely necessary, so that they can pair their resources, support each other, while holding each other accountable and committed to the process.
“We (Emmerson Boyce Foundation) want to be transparent with everyone on the ground and we need the support of the BFA, as well as to credit certain things and help us build and produce players for the national team.
So from everyone’s point of view, it’s a win-win”, said Boyce.
There are plenty of plans in place for this new marriage, from coach education, player identification to facility development and Boyce is optimistic and looking forward to partnering with public and private stakeholders to make those plans a reality.
“We are in talks with private investors at the moment, regarding facilities. We are hoping to have a footprint in January to have a base for the women to practice and have their own facility.
Then we are looking to come later in the year to put some astro pitches or grass pitches and other facilities where communities can actually have a facility they can call their own base”.
Boyce said he will be back in March 2021 with members of his team to officially launch the foundation and it will be the sibling to his academy which is scheduled to kick off in England in September 2021, where he intends to create pathways in both directions and in the United States.
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