Flex ask me to post this for him guys, an e-mail that was sent... (any ideas or feedback)...
The Minister in the Ministry of Sports.
The honourable - Mr Roger Boynes.
Dear Sir.
We are increasingly bombarded with news of unemployment and alienation of our youths. Annually, in excess of six thousand students graduate from secondary and tertiary educational institutions in T & T. Their first priority, as was perhaps the case with the rest of us was to secure sustainable employment. Unfortunately, high academic grades as well as work experience is required by employers, making it literally impossible for almost seventy percent of the graduates to become employable. What then is the solution?
My proposal is to make all sporting disciplines professional so that the individual not only becomes actively involved in healthy activity, but also is associated with positive and motivational peers while earning income. To achieve this :
- Professional coaching is required from as early as age eight 8 to thirteen 13.
-This would result in increased employment opportunities for coaches and those who might aspire to this end.
- Those in this age group would be ably assisted by their coaches to become focused on which type of sport they might be best suited to excel at.
- Between the ages of fourteen(14) to seventeen(17), a semi-professional school league consisting of players in the various sporting disciplines could be established.
- This would augur well for healthy competition, thus presenting an opportunity for exceptional players to be chosen for the professional league.
- To promote healthy family and community activity, competitions should be scheduled for weekends.
- The various stadia across the Islands should be utilized for matches thereby promoting to the public so that ticket sales could increase.
- A percentage of proceeds of these ticket sales should be deposited with prize monies into an athletic fund to be utilized for educational requirements of the winners.
- The entire school body can become involved and support their athletes by designing and printing T-shirts, caps, banners, flags etc.
- This would serve to identify which school was represented by the most orderly and disciplined group. The players would be motivated by the support and prizes could be given for Most Disciplined Posse thereby developing in youths a consciousness for proper conduct.
- A professional league consisting of those players over the age of eighteen (18) who would have excelled in their various disciplines could then be formulated.
- These youths would be doing what they do best and earning incomes for it.
- We would become more supportive of our athletes because as a nation we would be more aware of their activities.
- Economic activity across the board would be generated and vision 2020 would be achieved. Increased use of our stadia would mean employment for maintenance personnel, administrators, promoters, taxi drivers, food vendors, manufacturers of sporting goods and accessories and the list goes on.
- Athletes in winners row would undoubtedly attract and warrant heavy sponsorship. Sponsors would be rewarded by firstly being associated with excellence in sports and secondly should be granted tax credits by the government to the value of their contribution.
- This would serve to increase sponsorship, hence increase funding for sporting activities, thereby making sports a viable income earning alternative to misconduct and criminal activity.
I hope these proposals would be favourably considered for implementation so as to achieve the desired end.
Sincerely.
EON FAZAL SHAH.
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 679-7768.
ezeeweb55@hotmail.com.
