And while the economy is looking up, there aren't such high hopes after the Jaguars' crushing defeat in El Salvador this weekend. This past weekend, the female football team lost 9 to NIL against Panama. After the game, the new Minister of Sports, Rodwell Ferguson, took to Facebook and said that the team were, quote, "led like a sheep to be slaughtered." He was front and center at the game and during his stay in El Salvador, he realized the kind of work that needs to be put into football in Belize to ensure that this team, and all others, can hold their own against other countries. While still in Salvador, he spoke about what he saw and what he hopes to improve.
Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
"It was quite an experience looking at how our girls played. I believe in the first 15 minutes of the game they did extremely well until there was a breakdown. But never the less I think they have potential to do better, but with the support of not only the FFB, of the entire country of Belize. We need consolidated efforts, we need my colleagues in government, we need FFB, the private sector, the diaspora and so I will put a package together in return along with my senior people within the ministry of sports and figure what is the best possible way forward to raise the funds, I believe if we engage our businessmen and they see results then the support will come. If we sit back idly and don't engage anybody, everybody will remain idle, so we have to find a way forward and I am committed to do so."
"When I am given a responsibility, I want to do it with the best of my ability and so I didn't make the post last night, it would be controversial, but I believe it has to be done for the entire country to realize that we can excel, we can do much better, our players are strong, very energetic, but they lack the proper training and the time in camp especially and after discussing with FFB, they have a little amount of resources to promote football across the country, so they are trying to figure how we can partner with them. I always say at the ministry of sports and the department of sports is the highest body when it comes to Belize in terms of management and so there should be a collaboration between ourselves and the FFB, together we should be able to make it better for our girls across the country and the world."
And Minister Ferguson also has plans for other areas of sports in Belize.
Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports
"While we have or main sporting activity which is football, basketball, volleyball - I told my team at the national sports council that we are going to start basketball countrywide on the 7th May. They gave me a budget of about $250,000 to carry it on. I told them lets start and we are collaborating with the ministry of home affairs, especially with the crime in Belize City and they are committed to provide $100,000 along with Bowen and Bowen as a start."
"In Belize we like to start a project and there is no completion. For example, is the Marion Jones Sports complex. Again, we might say money is always an issue, because to be frank with you the budget for the ministry of sports is very minute and so it is limited what we can do, but when you put somebody in charge of a certain ministry, that person is to be able to be thoughtful to figure where they can find the resources. I already put instructions in place that we have a proposal writing team, we are going to nseek funds wherever it is, even in the diaspora and international agencies we are going to do that."
