Barbados Defence Force Chief of Staff Calls for Revitalization of Sports Programme

Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) Commodore Errington Shurland wants to see the revitalisation of their sports programme.

Yesterday during his remarks as part of the BDF’s 45th anniversary church service at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael, he said the programme had played an important part in Barbados’ sporting discipline.

“I am winding down, I’m in the twilight, the sunset of my military career, but when I assumed office on the first of September [2021], one of my objectives was to revitalise the sports programme.

“Do you know that Barbados’ football was never at its strongest until it was with the sports programme? Do you know that the Barbados cricket team won back-toback tournaments when they trained with the Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme? And if you are going to be very serious about sports, you have to bring some discipline to it,” he said.

The sports programme was established in 1990 and comprises cricket, football, boxing, table tennis, and track and field. In September 2018, former Chief of Staff Colonel Glyne Grannum revealed the programme was ending, with sources reporting it was a governmental costcutting measure. However, a subsequent statement from the Barbados Government Information Service quoted Grannum saying: “The BDF will incorporate the sports programme under its operational budget, and fund it from there.”

In April 2022, Shurland promised to leave no stone unturned in attempting to have teams from the programme as part of the Barbados Cricket Association and the Barbados Football Association seasons. He said then it would take $1.9 million a year to

keep the programme going, adding they had not tapped into the private sector, but emphasised: “We have not shut down the sports programme and have no intention of shutting it down.”

The theme of yesterday’s service was Proven Excellence, Shaping A Promising Future.

Shurland said the BDF was different from entities such as the United States military as it was not seen as fighting and winning wars, but to treat to issues such as national security and youth development.

“How can we get back to a stage in Barbados where we can leave our doors open at night? How can we in Barbados get back to a stage where we can walk the street without any fear? How can visitors to our shores feel comfortable and feel safe? That is the construct of national security.

“How does the military contribute to youth development? Through the Barbados Cadet Corps.