President of the Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. (SLFA), Mr. Lyndon Cooper, has urged member affiliates to recommit to their responsibilities as a national body and to reflect on past challenges in order to determine the interventions and changes needed for the future.
Speaking at the 40th Ordinary Congress of the SLFA, held last Saturday at the Bay Gardens Hotel in Rodney Bay, Mr. Cooper acknowledged that while last year may not have been the association’s strongest on the field, significant strides were made in modernizing structures and creating pathways that will shape football’s new direction in the years ahead.
“We must continue at all times to find solutions to the problems that confront us both on and off the field,” Cooper said, reminding affiliates “that as an association we belong to a global family that sets the pace and parameters for our growth and our development.”
He emphasized the need for affiliates to meet their objectives and contribute individually, within their leagues, and collectively as an organization. Cooper also announced consultations for a new strategic plan—particularly for women’s football—which will guide the SLFA’s future direction.
“These are going to shape the direction that we move into,” Cooper said at the same time calling on affilaites to contribute when the consultations are taking place.
Women’s Football Transformation
Cooper highlighted the urgent need to rethink women’s football in Saint Lucia, noting the failure to consistently field the mandatory 10 teams in recent years. The SLFA intends to establish female teams within selected leagues to ensure greater participation and contribution to the association’s overall objectives. This process has already begun and will continue into 2027, forming part of a broader strategy for both male and female senior teams.
The SLFA president then shifted to the recruitment of players for national duty emphasizing the need for affiliates to assist the SLFA in recruiting players for the job as this is not the sole duty of the SLFA.
“We must, as an organisation , ensure that all of our players are available for national selection,” Cooper said.
National Player Recruitment and Coaching Standards
The SLFA President stressed that affiliates must play a greater role in recruiting players for national duty, ensuring all eligible athletes are available for selection. He also announced modifications to the National Selection Policy to align with international standards and the establishment of a Coach Education Department. The goal is to certify all coaches in Saint Lucia, recognizing that proper training and certification are essential for sustainable growth.
Cooper, in fact, noted that the rate at which coaches are being trained is not in keeping with the pace at which the SLFA wants to grow the game and that there is a move afoot to increase the education and participation of match officials in domestic football.
Semi-Professional Football and Governance
Cooper revealed that changes are coming to the second tier of semi-professional football, with discussions underway to transform it into a fully professional league. Financial fair play regulations will be introduced to protect the integrity of the game.
“We think that it is now the responsibility of every single league, as we move into the transition of the third year of semi-professional football, to organise club football at the domestic level,” Cooper said.
“We have to introduce financial fairplay in semi-professional football. It is something that must be done and is something that we are going to do to ensure that we protect the integrity of the game,” Cooper said.
Looking ahead, January 2027 will see the launch of an under-20 national competition lasting six months, alongside senior men’s football, under-15 girls, under-12 boys, and senior women’s competitions—signaling an action-packed year for football development.
Cooper also underscored the importance of strengthening SLFA’s governance structure, introducing a modernized code of conduct, new financial regulations, and a revised constitution expected to take effect in 2027.
Cooper informed that while the SLFA remains committed to ensuring that the game continues to grow, it had become extremely challenging and difficult for the SLFA, at all times, to be in compliance with the requirements of international football.
“It is going to ensure that we understand what we must do and what we cannot do and those are requirements that are mandatory. If we do not comply the consequences will not be in the interest of you, myself or the organisation in general,” Cooper said.
