BLP to focus on youth

Mon, October 29, 2012 - 5:03 PM

Opportunities for the youth, particularly in sports, will be on the list of priorities of a Barbados Labour Party (BLP) government.

Party leader Owen Arthur is ready to pump millions of dollars into providing those opportunities and building mini stadiums in three areas of the island.

During his address to the 74th Annual Conference of the BLP on Sunday in Queen’s Park, Arthur said the time was ripe for more young Barbadians to be equipped as professionals to tap into the international sports market, especially football.

“Thanks to the previous BLP administrations, sporting organizations now draw over $13 million per year from the lotteries. Arrangements shall be made to enable them to be able to have access to at least $25 million per year to begin with, so that they can give more professional contracts to national sportsmen and can support development programmes to develop our young people to the stage where they can win contracts to perform as professionals in the global sports market arena,” he said.

“The Government of Barbados also needs to invest in at least three mini stadia in the north, centre and south of Barbados to allow professional sports to take root in this country.”
Insisting that the economic policies and structures must be designed with the youth in mind, Arthur said more needs to be done for them.