Cutting crime, improving health and education, boosting the economy and swelling national pride — the benefits of a well-structured national sports strategy can ripple through all sectors of society. That’s why sports development was one of the big ticket items on this year’s budget, with Prime Minister Allen Chastanet declaring a EC$ 20.6mn windfall for sports facilities, events, education and training.
The multi-million dollar investment will be spent on developing a mini-stadium at Soufriere, a large sports hub at Dennery, a medium-sized sports hub in Micoud North and a community hub in Micoud South. It will also help fund the proposed School of Excellence at Gros Islet which is in the pilot stage and a new Youth and Sports Authority “with the expertise to be able to invest in sports and cultural development”.
Concept Designs for Dennery Sports Complex. Image taken from Allen Chastanet Official Facebook page.
Youth engagement
Saint Lucia has plenty of bright, engaged and exceptional young people who are making their mark in business, tourism, conservation and the arts. But for every young go-getter hitting the headlines, there are hundreds more being lost to crime, poverty or lack of opportunity.
Sport can have a huge impact on youth development. Participating in teams engenders a sense of responsibility, community, leadership and self-discipline among young people who perhaps are not getting those lessons elsewhere. Coaches frequently serve as mentors, giving alienated youths a figure of authority to respect and emulate. And the benefits last long after the game ends — students who regularly engage in sports find that their performance in the classroom is also enhanced. Research from the University of Arkansas shows that high school students who play sports have higher grades and test scores in mathematics and language arts courses. Student athletes are also 1.7 times less likely to drop out of school.
These positive results are retained during the move from education to employment. A 2014 study from Cornell University found that athletes who played sports in high school tended to earn higher salaries in later life and possessed more leadership skills, self-confidence and self-respect.
In his 2019 Budget speech, Prime Minister Chastanet indicated that young people are at the heart of his desire to develop sports more fully in the country, saying it would “ensure our youth channel their energy into positive, healthy activity” and adding: “It is better for our young people to join clubs than join gangs.”
Sport can be a powerful weapon in the fight against crime as it teaches young people how to manage and control their aggression, as well as improving their communication and problem-solving skills. According to a 2003 report from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force: “Sport brings people together in a way that can cross boundaries and break down barriers. The skills and values learned through sport are many of the same skills taught in peace education to resolve and prevent conflict. Well-crafted sports teach respect, honesty, cooperation, empathy and how and why to adhere to rules.”
National pride
Giving young people pride in themselves and their team-mates is one thing, but this feeling of community closeness can be replicated on a large scale with a well-structured and successful national strategy.
Transforming Saint Lucia into a sporting Centre of Excellence, as the government intends, would make the island the premier sports destination in the Eastern Caribbean, encouraging further integration with its fellow members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and opening new avenues for OECS citizens to travel, work and come together.
Having the label of excellence cannot help but encourage national unity and pride. Saint Lucians from all sectors of society can participate, whether by attending a game, supporting players, joining a club or volunteering their time and skills. The prime minister is particularly keen to get more Saint Lucians involved in the latter, saying: “With this investment by the government, I am making a formal plea for Saint Lucians to engage in the spirit of volunteerism and I am calling on volunteer coaches and trainers to give of their time and knowledge to maximise both the investment and the talent of our young people.”
Economic game-changer
Developing sports requires significant human resources — good news for Saint Lucia where unemployment rates are still some of the highest in the region, reaching 20.2 per cent in 2018. Aside from those directly involved (coaches, team assistants, physiotherapists, consultants, etc), there are also scores of jobs related to building and maintaining sports infrastructure, from the worker who mans the ticket booth at a stadium to the architects and engineers designing the perfect cricket ground or running track. With a thriving sports sector, a whole host of new career options is on the table for the country’s young people.
Sports will also complement the country’s existing economic powerhouse, tourism. The global sports tourism market is expected to have an annual growth rate of about 36 per cent by 2023, according to market analysts TechNavio.
Calls for a comprehensive sports tourism strategy have been ongoing in Saint Lucia, but with little progress on the ground. Cricket, athletics, golf, yachting and other watersports are all potential goldmines, as other destinations in the Caribbean have realised and leveraged to their benefit. And it’s not just small island governments who are waking up to the potential of this market. Industry stalwart Wyndham Resorts has made sports tourism a central part of its plans for 2019, hosting and sponsoring triathlons in the Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.
With the new Youth and Sports Authority set to look closely at both sport and culture, more major events could feature in Saint Lucia’s future, dovetailing with plans in the Ministry of Tourism to deliver more “authentic experiences” for visitors. Saint Lucia’s affinity for, and talent in, sports of all kinds can be just as much a part of the country’s indigenous tourism product as its beaches, food and art.
