The National Sports Policy

The second UPP administration will, within the first 6 months of a second term in Government, enact a National Sports Policy for Antigua and Barbuda. Putting Sports in the Heart of Our Communities We intend to achieve continued growth in sports by creating management systems that work to empower community-based groups.

• The UPP will create Zonal Management Teams to manage sporting facilities.
• Each management team will be provided with an office at a selected sporting facility within that zone, staffed by a facility manager paid by the Ministry of Sports.
• The Facility Managers along with the Zonal Management Teams will collaborate with the Ministry to ensure facility maintenance, continuous assessment of community project and equipment needs as well as to provide ongoing technical and educational assistance to community groups and sporting clubs.

The National Executive Council for Sports (NECS) This initiative will promote the partnering of key stakeholders in sports. It will stimulate growth and development in sports through sponsorship of community sporting clubs and will provide financing for national sporting events and programmes.

• The NECS will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Sports, sporting associations and corporate representatives.
• This body will have the primary purpose of overseeing and managing contributions to sports in Antigua and Barbuda with the necessary checks and balances in place.
• The NECS will be directly responsible for attracting new and additional corporate contributions to sports at both the community and national levels.

Superior Training Achieves Results (STAR) Programme

• This program seeks to identify high performing athletes in various disciplines.
• We will invest in the training of coaches to spearhead the implementation of this program.
• STAR athletes will be enrolled in a training program designed to produce maximum results.