Co-operation

THE BREWSTER TRUST co-operates with a diversified network of partners. An excerpt.

Barbados Secondary Schools’ Football League

THE BREWSTER TRUST supports the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Football League (BSSFL) to implement the “Development Programme”, to improve the overall standard of football in the secondary schools with the main goals:

• to promote secondary school football on the island,
• to raise the standard of youth football as a whole,
• to educate coaches in coaching techniques and the ability to train and select teams at the youth level,
• to provide the basis for young players to play structured football more often and so get better at the game of football,
• to provide coaches and players alike with the necessary equipment to assist in player development and
• to promote football for the youth on the island with the intention of making the schools’ football the model for which every other division should follow.

Initial project: School Programme 2013

Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal Football Club has been organising the so called “Gap Year Programme” on an annual basis. This scheme gave young people the opportunity to undertake a year’s placement with the Club to gain valuable coaching experience and even have the chance to spend three months overseas at an international Arsenal Soccer School in locations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt and Greece and also Barbados.

The Gap Year was open for young men and women over the age of 17. At the beginning of the programme, Gap Year youngsters gain valuable qualifications in coaching, refereeing, first aid, child protection and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) whilst spending time coaching and teaching in local schools and community soccer schools in and around north London in order to build up confidence levels.

Every Gap Year was split into three parts from September to December, January to April and May to August and Gap Year participants could expect to spend around three to four months overseas after successfully completing parts one and two in north London with the Club.

Alan Sefton, former Head of Arsenal in the Community, said: “This is an exceptional way of spending a gap year with Arsenal for both boys and girls before or after further or higher education. The scheme gives participants the opportunity to acquire a skills set which can be applied in a variety of ways after the scheme comes to an end. It’s a fantastic way for any football or sport enthusiast to see the world, learn new skills and enjoy themselves.”

THE BREWSTER TRUST was partner of Arsenal FC and the Gap Year Programmes 2010 to 2015.

Barbados Football Association

THE BREWSTER TRUST signed on 17th December 2010 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Barbados Football Association (BFA) for three years to co-operate developing, funding and supporting several projects like restructuring, strategic approaches or even communication tools.

Projects included:

• Web portal
• General Secretary
• BFA’s Strategic Plan
• Summit 2011

THE BREWSTER TRUST is in a regular exchange with the Governing Body, topics of discussion included infrastructural improvements or a Youth Development Programme.