George Town, Grand Cayman, October 21 2013 – CONCACAF’S landmark Sports Summit 2013  ‘Transformation through Partnership’ got under way  on Monday with a gala dinner and welcome from President Jeffrey Webb and key guest speakers.

“The beautiful game delights people of all creeds and backgrounds,” said President Webb in his welcome speech to guests. “Football builds character, it unites nations, it instills a sense of life-long friendship, it provides discipline and team work. It induces national pride, a sense of accomplishment and generates global exposure. In its utmost complexity, it can be perceived both as an art form and as a road to hope,” added Webb.

The central theme of transformation was superbly captured by the dinner’s keynote speaker from South Africa, Tokyo Sexwale.

Sexwale told of his time as a political prisoner in an isolation cell on Robben Island, where he was held along with Nelson Mandela and other leading figures in the struggle against the country’s apartheid regime.

Sexwale recounted how he and other prisoners kept their spirits up by playing football inside the notorious jail and even formed their own football association, “it was one of the key activities that kept us together, body and soul,” he said.

“It enabled us to transcend political barriers amongst prisoners including cultural, linguistic, regional, ethnic differences that we had. We could all come together and forget our differences,” said Sexwale who encouraged Webb in his role as chairman of FIFA’s Anti-Racism and Discrimination Task Force.

The CONCACAF President has already begun to make an impact in the field of social advocacy and the importance of his role was given a prestigious acknowledgment by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

At the dinner, it was announced by UNAIDS Senior Adviser, Dr. Djibril Diallo, that President Webb has been handed the 2013 UNAIDS “Protect the Goal” Special Award for the Diaspora.

Also present at the dinner was FIFA President Joseph Blatter, who on Tuesday will deliver one of the keynote speeches looking at ‘The Power of Football’.

A wide range of themes will be addressed in speeches and panel discussions with a session on ‘Football’s Positive Impact on Society’ looking at success stories where the game has been used as a tool for positive change and ‘Football in Your Economy” looking at the commercial benefits the game can bring.

A key element of the summit is the involvement of governments from across the CONCACAF region and The Most Honorable Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, will address delegates about ‘Sport and Country’.

CONCACAF’s federations will also get in an insight into the workings of two of the most successful professional leagues with Nic Coward, General Secretary of the English Premier League and Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer both offering their insights.

The women’s game is essential to CONCACAF’s plans for growth and development and Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association, will be outlining exciting plans for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Canada in 2015.

The 2022 men’s World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, is also represented on the agenda with Hassan Abdullah Al-Thawadi, Secretary General of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, looking ahead to hosting the game’s biggest event, for the first time in the Middle East.

Former players from the region will also give their perspectives – ex-Manchester United and Trinidad and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke and former United States national team forward Cobi Jones are among the players contributing to a panel discussion.

CONCACAF

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is the governing body for soccer in the region, and one of six continental authorities that administer the game along with FIFA. Formed in 1961 from the merger of the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean and the North American Football Confederation, CONCACAF has 40 member associations, including Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana on the South American continent. As the administrative body for the region, CONCACAF organizes competitions, offers training courses in technical and administrative aspects of the game, and helps to build football throughout the region.

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Historic CONCACAF Sports Summit opens today in Cayman Islands

By Franklin Wilson in the Cayman Islands, From KNEWS

‘Transformation Through Partnership’; Regions Ministers of Sports attend

The continued rise and transformation of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) will attain new heights today when the confederation begins its historic Sports Summit being convened under the theme, “Transformation Through Sports”.

CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb will be joined by FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter for the opening this morning at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Not only will the President’s, General Secretaries and Technical Directors of CONCACAF’s 41-Member Associations attend, but for the first time in the Region’s football history, the Sports Ministers of each territory have been invited to participate.

Webb, also a FIFA Vice President and Blatter yesterday hosted a press conference to update the local and International media on the event at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter (left) and CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb at yesterday’s press conference.

Webb described the event as a “Landmark” in the region’s history with the aims and objectives being to build bridges; create dialogue; examine and highlight some of the best practices throughout the region; analyze strengths and to set goals and objectives to improve shortcomings.

“We look forward to an outstanding two days, we believe of course that the representatives of government, for the first time in our history along with the representatives and delegations from football authorities together in the same room will create synergies and dialogue that we believe will help to foster the development of the game for the future.”

The confederation has chosen a high class level of presenters that will be sharing their own knowledge and experiences on the carefully selected topics during the course of the Summit.

President Blatter in his remarks noted that it is a great pleasure and honour to be part of history in the confederation while congratulating Webb for the initiative.

“I am very happy to be here and I have to congratulate this president and the membership of CONCACAF for what you have done under your new leadership.”

The FIFA boss, who was the first Development Officer appointed by FIFA, some 38 years ago, noted that this summit is well timed and necessary for the continued progress of the game in this region.

Blatter’s presentation today centers on ‘The Power of Football’ and is the keynote address. The Welcome will be done by Premier of the Cayman Islands, The Honorable Alden McLaughlin.

Former National Players, Cobi Jones (USA, Forward), Bernard Lama (France, GK) and Dwight Yorke (T&T, Forward) will share their personal experiences on how Football changed their lives.

Football’s Positive Impact in Society (success stories of programmes utilising football as a tool for positive change) will be done by Dr. Djibril Diallo – UNAIDS Senior Adviser to the Executive Director, Professor Jiri’ Dvorak MD – FIFA Chief Medical Officer and Mike Geddes – Managing Director of Street Football World USA.

Some of the other areas that will be focused on include Football Attracting Business, Women’s World Cup Central, Football as an Influential Agent for Positive Change, Football in your Economy, Creating Successful Partnerships for the Development of Football and Sport and Country which will be a special address that will be presented by the Most Honorable Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica.

Sharing his vision for this Summit, Webb said that his travels throughout the region made him realize the level of disconnect between government authorities and the sporting authorities which is reflective in the lack of infrastructure throughout the region.

“When you look and realize that FIFA is spending two billion dollars on development, 260 million in our region, 800 million in this financial cycle, it seems in many cases instead of being progressive, sometimes it has allowed us to regress”.

Based on these facts, Webb stated that they wanted to bring together the relevant authorities to see how best bridges of collaboration and understanding can be built as well as establishing dialogue.

“If FIFA is investing millions in our region, we as a people and Diaspora throughout the Confederation, governments must play their roles also. Governments must also provide the infrastructure to allow us to play.”

Reference was made to the fact that in the history of the Caribbean, two world championships were hosted, both in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Do we have the necessary infrastructure in any territory at this time to host another one? Unfortunately, I don’t think so,” Webb posited.

The aims of this summit includes establishing strategic plans with governments as well as partnering and creating long term strategies for infrastructure development that will help foster development of the game in the future.

An intense day of deliberations and sharing of experiences is set to unfold in an historic atmosphere.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/10/22/historic-concacaf-sports-summit-opens-today-in-cayman-islands/

Related story

FIFA Grants Seen Wasted As Sepp Blatter Roadshow Arrives In Caribbean

From Sports Business

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is in the Caribbean this week talking financials.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrived in the Caribbean this week “seeking to tighten financial oversight” in a region where some projects funded by grants from the governing body “floundered,” according to Alex Duff of BLOOMBERG.

A plan “to develop a national team for the Turks and Caicos Islands ‘in the middle of nowhere’ flopped,” according to former squad member Chris Gannon. FIFA said in April it has had “difficulties” with projects on Antigua: an undated picture on its website of a planned $400,000 field shows “a waterlogged plot of disused land.”

Blatter began meeting with officials from 22 Caribbean football associations and the U.S. and Canada at a five-day seminar in the Cayman Islands Monday. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said that the trip “is part of a global roadshow that aims to ensure Blatter’s reforms to increase accountability and transparency reach national federations.” Valcke: “FIFA cannot work at the top of the pyramid if at the bottom of the pyramid the member associations don’t have the same level of organization.”

The Caribbean associations are part of the CONCACAF confederation, which also oversees football in North and Central America. The region has received $260M of FIFA’s developments funds that have totaled about $2B since ’99 (BLOOMBERG, 10/21).

For more on this story go to:

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Global/Issues/2013/10/22/International-Football/FIFA-Blatter.aspx