St Lucia get US$600,000 FIFA Goal Project

This was announced at the start of their FIFA Goal Project in Banaboo, on Friday.

CONCACAF president Jack Austin Warner, arrived in Castries after a visit to the African Cup of Nations in Cairo to attend the two-hour ceremony at the FIFA Goal Project site where he joined St Lucia Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, Minister of Youth and Sports Mario Michel and the Chinese, Mexican and French Ambassadors.

PM Anthony paid special tribute to Warner and FIFA for looking out for St Lucia in their football development.

"Let me say how proud I am to be here for such an event today which is the start of a great development for St Lucia and its football," Anthony said. "And I must add that none of this would have been possible without the support and belief of Mr Jack Warner. He has ensured that the people of St Lucia have something to look forward to and the island itself can get something that gives them hope and prominence in terms of what this Goal Project will give to us.

"I am certain that we will make the best possible use of it and try to live up to FIFA’s hope of making the world a better place through football.

"We would like to follow in the footsteps of Trinidad and Tobago and I congratulate them on their success of getting to the World Cup and now we will try to achieve the same or better."

Warner in his address, told the gathering which included several Cabinet members it would take a collective effort to attain success on the field.

"It cannot be the function of the government alone or the FA alone but it needs corporate support too and can only be attained by the collective effort of all." He added. According to Goal Project manager Harold Taylor, the St Lucian project will see the construction of a training centre, live-in dormitories, an international-size playing field and two training fields among other facilities.

Warner cautioned St Lucia FA president Oswald Wilkinson Larcher while it is good to aspire to success in FIFA competitions and World Cup qualifications, he and his colleagues will also have to brace for possible criticism."