Est.2007

Barbados Underground

Bringing News and Opinions to the People

Barbados sports are failing

← Back

Your message to the BLOGMASTER was sent

CONTACT THE BLOGMASTER ONLY

A fact that cannot be refuted – Barbados is underperforming across the board in sports. From football to athletics, cricket to boxing, the results are inconsistent, the infrastructure outdated, and the planning dysfunctional. In many ways it is not dissimilar to our political system. The blogmaster has been trying for many years to encourage sports insiders to blow the whistle on the unprofessional approaches adopted by local sports associations without success.

The story of Cape Verde’s recent World Cup qualification caught the blogmaster’s eye last week, it shows what a small country can achieve with a relevant strategy, targeted investment, and REAL diaspora engagement.

Cape Verde with a population of just about 500,000 people booked a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A significant achievement by any measure. Cape Verde’s success should serve as an inspiration for Barbados to what is possible.

Like Cape Verde, Barbados is small with a vulnerable economy and passionate about sports. Why are our Bajan Tridents unable to perform like the Blue Sharks, the moniker adopted by Cape Verde’s football team. Our underperformance in sports straddles practically ALL disciplines whether cricket, athletics, boxing, netball to name a few. The question is not whether we have talent. It is whether we have the leadership, structure and the vision to unleash it.

From cursory research, Cape Verde created a formula for success which is not new. The football team is selected from players in the diaspora, that is players born in Europe. Over the years, successive Barbados governments have attempted to tap talent in the diaspora without the same success. Once the talent pool was identified and contracted, Cape Verde adopted a parallel strategy to invest in FIFA’s Forward Programme that led to world class outfields. elite coaching, training programs, youth academies, sports, science and high level of PROFESSIONALISM. The local Barbados Football Association is struggling to compete a 2×3 project at Wildey for how many years now?

In Barbados we are playing on substandard outfields, recycling coaching methods from the 90s, recycling faces on the various sport associations and waiting for the Chinese to rebuild our national stadium. Obviously Cape Verde was able to assemble a team to execute a plan that translated to the team playing with pride, unity and an identity. Barbados’ national moto is Pride and Industry, however, it is not reflected in our sporting culture. Cricket is the dominant sport but sadly there is evidence to suggest is failing. Football struggles for relevance reflected in a current FIFA ranking of 177 out of 211, a precipitous fall from 92 achieved in 2009. Athletics lacks consistent support and like the majority of sporting associations are paralysed and infested by political parasites to callout a few.

We need to transform to a national sporting culture that celebrates effort, rewards excellence, and inspire. A MERITOCRATIC SYSTEM.

In Barbados our governments are unifocussed on economic initiatives, whereas Cape Verde’s government appaently sees sports as more than recreation, it is about national development, diversifying tourism, and national branding. In Barbados it is evident that we have a casual, non strategic approach to sports.

Cape Verde has showed us what is possible but it requires work to emulate- strategic planning, diaspora engagement, relevant infrastructure, nurturing a supporting culture and so on. The Bajan Tridents are far from playing at a World Cup anytime soon. Our entire sports ecosystem is light years from where it must be. The Blue Sharks proved that size doesn’t matter, mapping and executing on a VISION does.

Discover more from Barbados Underground

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

6 responses to “Barbados sports are failing”

  1. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    “Football struggles for relevance reflected in a current FIFA ranking of 177 out of 211, a precipitous fall from 92 achieved in 2009.”

    @ David

    Randy Harris’ involvement in local football began in the 1970s. On September 30, 2012, he was elected as President of the Barbados Football Association (BFA), and was RE-ELECTED for his FOURTH CONSECUTIVE term in April 2024.

    Additionally, Harris was elected Vice-President of CONCACAF, 1st Vice President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and subsequently President, and in March 2025, he was elected to the prestigious FIFA Council, becoming the first Barbadian to hold such a position.

    Despite being involved in the game for almost 50 years, and what could be described as an ‘impressive resume’ of his professional accomplishments, the state of Barbados football has been gradually deteriorating under Harris’ leadership.

    The domestic tournaments continue to be poor, while the national team ‘struggles with consistency’ at the regional and international levels.

    Of its 41 member associations, CONCACAF ranking index rates Barbados at 33.

    According to FIFA’s recent rankings:
    …. Jamaica is at 68
    …. Trinidad & Tobago – 100
    …. St. Kitts & Nevis – 151
    …. Antigua & Barbuda – 160
    …. St. Lucia – 164
    …. Grenada – 165
    …. St. Vincent & the Grenadines – 171
    …. Barbados – 175

    Surely Harris’ tenure has so far been ABYSMAL…… for which BFA members REWARD him with re-election.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @Artax

    It is about politics.

    It is about rewarding mediocrity.

    It is not dissimilar to the political system mentioned in the post.

  3. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ David
    It is about lack of visionary LEADERSHIP.

    Research Jamaica’s world dominating athletics program, and you will find that strong, decisive, visionary leadership set that tone.
    Barbados has been a bastion of protecting the legacy and tenure of sports administrators, whose parasitical attachment to organizations have been protected via non-transparent, underhanded, often political ploys – that blame athletes, coaches, sponsors – and everyone else – EXCEPT the omnipresent parasites.

    This is true for practically every failed sport organization – ESPECIALLY those umbrellas at the top of the heap.

    Then after government assigns the least useful clown as minister, and a reluctant reject from other ministries as PS, the die is cast for sport.

    None of these clowns appreciate the POWER of well organized sport to play a key role in FRAMING YOUNG character, building social cohesion, supporting business development, improving HEALTH outcomes, and building COMMUNITY.

    The latest laughable thing is the attempt by the PM to bribe the frustrated youth away from the murder spree, with a $100,000 football scheme, …something that SHOULD have been a $10 million professional development program – under a competent and transparent National Football Program, many years ago…

    Where there is no vision,
    Our ranking will continue to be at the bottom of the pack…

    What a place!

  4. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    It is about rewarding mediocrity.

    It is not dissimilar to the political system mentioned in the post.

    xxxxxx

    TIME TO WAKE UP.

    SPORTING ASSOCIATIONS ON THE 2X3 ISLAND ARE NOT ABOUT UPLIFTING THE INDIVIDUAL SPORT.

    IT IS ABOUT EGO AND TRIPS.

    I CAN ATTEST TO THIS AS PREVIOUS PRO OF THE AAA. AS A FORMER SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT OF A FULL 4 YEAR SCHOLARSHIP FROM A USA UNIVERSITY HAVING COMING OUT OF ONE OF THE POOREST COMMUNITIES ON THE 2X3 ISLAND I QUICKLY SAW THIS.

    I EVEN ALLOWED THE AAA EXECUTIVE TO HAVE MEETINGS AT MY FORMER OFFICE IN BELLEVILLE DURING MY STINT.

    HOWEVER IT WAS APPARENT THAT PEOPLE INVOLVED INCLUDING LONG SERVING ESTER MAYNARD WERE MORE INTERESTED IN THEIR EGOS, FREE TRIPS AND PER DIEMS.

    I BECAME THE BAD BOY BECAUSE I SPOKE OUT AS I DIDN’T NEED A PAID TRIP SINCE AT THE TIME I HAD A REGIONAL BUSINESS AND WAS GENUINELY SEEKING TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE TO YOUNGSTERS KNOWING WHAT IT HAD DONE FOR MYSELF PERSONALLY.

    HOWEVER THE MORE THINGS CHANGE ON THE 2X3 ISLAND THE MORE THEY REMAIN THE SAME WHETHER FOOTBALL OR ATHLETICS.

  5. David Avatar
    David

    An article worth reading, however it is not salacious enough.

    One love, one heart

    I was sitting in the airport the other day when I heard it – that unmistakable, rich, flavourful Jamaican accent. To reconfirm her nationality, the lady sitting across from me ensured that her massive bag had its own seat. There it was, bold and beautiful, adorned in green, yellow and black – Jamaica’s national colours.

    If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Jamaicans will carry their flag and their identity wherever they go. Literally.

    You see it at their famous Boys & Girls Champs, which is the equivalent of our Inter-School Sports. You would think the stands would be a sea of individual school colours, right? Well, the entire stadium is awash in green, yellow and black. First and foremost they support Jamaica.

    Abroad, you’ll see it too. From boxing gloves dangling from rear view mirrors to bumper stickers, caps and jerseys, the colours are always there. If you don’t spot a flag outright, just give it a minute – it’ll show up. They are patriotic to the tenth power and the whole world finds joy in identifying with them on the cultural and sporting stage.

    And then there’s us. Sweet, orderly Barbados, the loving land of rules and regulations, aspiring to capture the gold medal for owning the longest reel of red tape in the world. The place where displaying our own blue, gold and black too “overtly” might just get us in trouble.

    Not even during the month of November, when Independence should be bubbling in our very veins, do we fully let loose. Heaven forbid someone decides to fly a flag from their vehicle. Or wrap their car mirrors in national colours. Lashes! There’s always a caution, or some “official” reminder that this or that isn’t allowed.

    If we’re not careful, we are going to snuff out the very thing that we claim to want more of: pride in nationhood. Patriotism isn’t just about reciting the Pledge with gusto in primary school, and singing the National Anthem once a year at a formal event. Patriotism is a feeling. It’s something you wear on your sleeve – and in Jamaica’s case, on your suitcase, T-shirt and earrings too. Our legislation, while maybe well-intentioned, is helping to dilute the celebration of who we are and where we come from. Instead of encouraging people to let their pride shine, we often regulate it into silence.

    And so, little by little, the desire to be visibly patriotic slips away.

    You recognise the disparity only when you live abroad for some time and desperately try to latch on to all things Bajan infused. While living in an American college dorm for four years, I had a fivefoot flag displayed in my window eight storeys up.

    Everyone could see my allegiance from three blocks away. I wore my Barbados T-shirt over my collegiate athletic gear to every track meet. Now, let me slap a five-inch flag on my car in Barbados during Independence and I could be publicly flogged in Heroes Square.

    We talk often about building a stronger sense of identity, but that won’t happen by accident. It needs intentional action. And it needs permission for people to express their love for this island out loud – and in full colour.

    So, here’s my little plea: let’s ease up on the regulations that stifle patriotism and instead create space for it to bloom. Why not have clear guidelines that permit flags on vehicles and houses at least during Independence month only? Can we start there, please? Let’s recognise that when pride is expressed boldly, it grows.

    Because one day, I’d love to be sitting in an airport, overhearing someone ask, “How do you know they’re Bajan?” And the answer would be simple: “Can’t you see the blue, gold and black oozing out of their pores?”

    Cherita O’dell is a realtor, speaker and entrepreneur whose teachers always said she was a good student but just talked too much. Email info@cheritaspeakslife.com

    Source: Nation

  6. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    I’d love to be sitting in an airport, overhearing someone ask,
    “How do you know they’re Bajan?”
    And the answer would be simple:
    IT IS!

    “Can’t you see the brass…?!

The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.

Trending

Discover more from Barbados Underground

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading