Sports given big boost in Mayaro

The administration of sports in Mayaro has been given a major boost with the formation of an umbrella body will oversee some of the major sporting events and activities in the south-east region.

The new entity, All Mayaro Sports Foundation, which was officially launched in June, has undertaken the administration and organisation of a host of longstanding sporting leagues and competitions covering football, windball cricket, netball and basketball, all of which enjoy major support from energy company BP Trinidad and Tobago (BPTT).

Respected community worker and sportswoman, Nicola Cabrera, received support from the foundation for her sporting development project, Growing Into Responsible Leaders Successfully (GIRLS). “I think it’s great that we have a local perspective guiding sporting development in our community and I also appreciate that BPTT is still there to lend support and guidance. The All Mayaro Sports Foundation provided us with much needed sporting equipment, which is making a big difference in our mission to train young talent in netball as well as to inculcate much needed life skills in our young women.

“I am of the firm belief that more national emphasis needs to placed on programmes like GIRLS, which are geared towards the development of youth and I really appreciate the work of the Sports Foundation and BPTT in Mayaro,” Cabrera explained.

Led by community activist, Bartholomew ‘Bunny’ Lynch, the All Mayaro Sports Foundation, which is a legally registered entity, is the result of a series of discussions between officials of BPTT and various stakeholders in the wider Mayaro/Guayaguayare region.

One of the primary objectives of the foundation is to empower the people of Mayaro and environs to enable them to lead the way and take charge of community-based sporting development in the region.

Lynch, chairman of the foundation, gave an overview of its formation. “This organisation represents the culmination of meaningful dialogue between the people of this community and corporate stakeholders BP Trinidad and Tobago. It is the realisation of our desire to become masters of our own destiny and it is facilitated by the support and investment of BPTT.”

Lynch continued, “Since then other sponsors have also come on board such as Hydro Tech Limited, National Energy Corporation, Shell Trinidad Limited, Laing and ZOR Services Limited. I am honoured to have been charged with the responsibility of leading this dynamic group of young and talented people as we strive to follow our motto to use ‘sports for the enrichment of life’.”

Thus far, the foundation has successfully managed some of the benchmark sporting activities in the south-eastern community, including the participation of Mayaro in the Primary Schools Zonal Sports Competition, the Mayaro Football League, the Mayaro Basketball League and the recently concluded Mayaro Windball Night Cricket League.

The foundation has also supported smaller developmental projects, including the Mayaro Government Primary School cricket team, as well as assisting Mayaro-based sporting talent including young female footballer Kadaysha Hughes; national cricket hopeful Peterson Francois; aspiring sporting coach Jerome Quammina; and National handball team captain, Tiffany Anthony.

Matthew Pierre, Community Liaison Officer, BPTT, was full of praise for the work of the foundation. “The community asked for the responsibility of managing these developmental activities and BPTT responded with trust and support.

So far, the foundation has done an excellent job and Mr Lynch and his team have set an exemplary precedent for other umbrella organisations that have been or are being formed.”