Islandstats.com sports reporter Earl Basden took time out of his busy schedule to speak with Richard Calderon, new President of the Bermuda Football Association (BFA). Calderon provided an update after being in office for a mere (3) weeks. A number of varied topics were discussed such as the announcement of the National Coaches and the completion of the new (BFA) field, located in Prospect, Devonshire.
The (BFA) obtained a copy of the interview from islandstats reporter Earl Basden and it was agreed that the story can be posted on our website.
Caldron said, “It would be an understatement to say that over the past three weeks, since the new Executive have taken office, the Executive , Committees and staff have been working very hard and smart, reviewing and addressing every area of football”.
“We have had two executive meetings along with many meetings with staff and several with sponsors and potential sponsors,”, continued Calderon. “All Committees have been formed and several are already working very hard”.
“I along with the Chairman of the Technical Committee have met with the Technical Director to review his entire plan, including the recommendation to hire National Coaches”, Calderon went on to say.
“The Chairman of the Technical Committee and the Technical Committee have met to discuss the same, the Technical Committee will meet with the Technical Director to arrive at the best way forward for the redevelopment of our game which will include the hiring of national coaches”, continued Calderon.
“It is very important to note that as promised to all affiliates, the executive and staff of the Bermuda Football Association are committed to proper planning. Significant work has been done on the creation of a new long term Strategy for Bermuda Football and many of the stakeholders views, ideas and passions have been captured in this document. We have articulated this in great detail to all Executive, staff and the Chairmen of the respective Committees have done or will do the same with their committee members. The Chairmen of each Committee will form the Steering Committee for the completion of the Strategic Plan. In essence, they will become the champions of the key components of the plan and will be charged with leading those discussions with stakeholders” said Calderon.
“As previously stated, more work has to be done and we are preparing to re-start the process of finishing the strategic plan as I type. By next week this will be communicated to all affiliate members and schedules will be created to complete the process. This will continue to be an inclusive process and all affiliates will have an opportunity to contribute to the plan. A plan that the entire football community will be guided by for several years to follow. Simultaneously the CFO of the BFA will begin the process of creating a Business plan that will be aligned with the Strategic plan. Clearly there are things that need to be done in the interim and we have planned for this to ensure that the work of the BFA does not stop”, continued Calderon.
“I can’t stress the following any stronger, I / we must get this right and we are determined to do just that. In the end what we envision is a plan / roadmap that all football stakeholders can call their own. A plan reached by consensus, not buy-in, after the fact. And yes, like all strategic plans, there will be those that will not get all of their views accepted, but that’s democracy, it is not a perfect philosophy. We are attempting to unite all stakeholders around a plan that they helped to shape. Ownership is key and will serve us well during those moments of failure. We are human and as such we will make mistakes, but if and when that happens, the approach taken should reduce the amount of finger pointing and be replaced by the notion that we gave it our best try and agreement to get back to the drawing board and correct those areas where we failed, together.”
