Minister of VROMI, Egbert Doran, in a groundbreaking move has allocated a substantial parcel of land in Belvedere, to the Sint Maarten Football Federation (SXMFF) for their use.
This exciting development, comes as a welcome solution to the Federation, which has been seeking
this opportunity for some time now, to provide a proper and safe environment for their young
players to develop and foster their talent, which will enable them to access international platforms.
“I am really happy to be able to finally make this happen for the Federation, because they have faced
several challenges over the years in trying to secure a proper playing field,” Doran said. “The Football
Federation was able to secure a piece of land in 2016 on Pond Island, but after the passing of
Hurricanes Irma & Maria in 2017, the then Minister of VROMI commandeered that land, which is
currently a Landfill and since then has left the Football Federation displaced and the sport of soccer
in jeopardy. I am happy that I was able to right this wrong”
This allocation of the land in Belvedere, Lower Princess Quarter, which took over a year to finalize,
now represents the home and cornerstone of the SXMFF, has a sprawling size of 11.700 m^2 and
with state-of-the-art facilities in the pipeline, this space will cater to both recreational players and
competitive teams.
To ensure that football remains an inclusive and accessible sport for everyone, the SXMFF has also
agreed to partner with three (3) schools located in the nearby areas of Middle Region, Belvedere and
Dutch Quarter, to extend a sporting program to them. This program, is to further expand the
Federation’s current initiative, which has already resulted in local students being scouted and
receiving scholarships to prominent Colleges and Universities overseas, where they are now
pursuing their tertiary education.
“I want to use this opportunity as well, to applaud the President of the Football Federation, Mr.
Sudesh ‘Johnny’ Singh, who has passionately been on a quest to develop football on the island,”
highlighted. “He has through significant efforts, rallied several private sector partners, whom
together have been able to bring professional international scouts to the island and has brought the
sport to a level that now has the attention and opportunity to engage with FIFA.”
SXMFF in response, thanked the Minister for going the extra mile to make this long-awaited dream a
reality for their organization, and explained that now their focus will be on the development of the
land into a proper facility.
“We are hoping to include the construction of modern football fields, equipped with high-quality
turf to enhance playing conditions,” Singh said. “Additionally, we hope to have other amenities such
as changing rooms, spectator stands, and spaces for community events. The infrastructure will be
designed to meet the standards of professional football, so that we can provide our players with
access to the best playing environment and be able to host other professional teams from across the
region.”
Minister Doran says he is thrilled to have been able to see this project to fruition, as it will have a
major impact on the community. “Beyond its direct impact on the football community, the allocation
of this land is expected to have positive ripple effects throughout the island,” he added. “Increased
sports activities often lead to improved community wellbeing and local businesses will benefit from
the influx of visitors and participants, that sports tourism usually attracts.”
He advises the public to look out for more community projects and homeownership programs which
he will continue to work on, once given the opportunity to do so.