CI$¾M found to fund sports, including CIFA

| 14/12/2020 | 62 Comments
Cayman News Service
Sports Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly in Parliament on Friday

(CNS): Despite the decline in government revenue and the additional strain on the public purse in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, government has found almost CI$788,000 more for Cayman’s sports associations in a budget reshuffle. Many sports, from athletics to volleyball, will now get $150,000 per year, which is a massive boost for some. Sports Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly also revealed that the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) will be getting the cash, too.

Government’s support for CIFA was withdrawn in the wake of the FIFA corruption scandal in 2015, which saw one time local football hero Jeff Webb arrested and subsequently charged in the fallout that impacted football worldwide.

However, despite a corruption and fraud case surrounding past and present CIFA executives still unfolding in the courts, the minister said Friday in Parliament that her ministry will resume giving funds to the local football association to help in its recovery.

“I have met with the CIFA executive and was impressed with the steps they have taken to strengthen the governance of the CIFA, including undertaking three separate audits on an annual basis. The sport continues to grow from strength to strength,” she added, as she outlined leagues and forthcoming international competitions.

While CIFA is now getting $30,000 more than its past grant, some associations are seeing a massive increase.

“I believe that with strengthened governance of the sport by the national sports associations, this level of funding would yield results with increased participation, better international performances and ultimately yield a healthier society where sport and physical activity become cemented as a part of our culture,” the minister told her parliamentary colleagues.

This jump to an annual cash injection from government to CI$150,000 for the sports associations is largely to help them pay for technical directors, after a policy change transferred that responsibility out of the sports department and onto each of the relevant associations, and to do their annual accounts as required for all non-profits that receive grants from the public purse.

O’Connor-Connolly said several sports associations have struggled with these costs, given that several of them have few significant income streams over and above the government money, so they were losing the public money as well because they could not afford to meet the criteria to get it.

As a result CI$90,000 of the new money each national association is getting will be used for the directors and for getting the accounts done, with the rest being spent directly on the sport. Each association will be required to submit updated development plans supported by this funding and to get themselves compliant with their outstanding audits and the hiring of technical directors.


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Comments (62)

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  1. Dtfp@gmail. com says:

    Sad situation … Government giving away our money to imported losers. Property stricken Status and PR grants. The law says that the MUST be self sufficient. What a joke that cannot even collect the fees. These people need to held accountable. Also ju ju gave (that we know of) $2.5 to the university is the West Indies. What a bunch of crooks. Sad when so many Caymanians are in dire need.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I had to laugh that the problem is the need for ‘annual accounts’ if you get CIG money, and CIG shifting the employment of technical directors from CIG to the Associations. So the solution was to give the associations more money so they could hire an accountant, to account for the technical director’s pay. If only there were some organisation already set up to account for money and manage staff. Like, say, a Department & Ministry of Sports.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Stick with schoolyard sports. No cost at all — simply part of the Education budget.

    So many other needs, crying for a dollar or two — particularly preserving natural areas. The verdant isles are being denuded by “development” which is leads to “destruction”.

  4. anon says:

    I cannot admire JuJu enough for selflessly excluding the Cayman Brac Tiddlywinks Association from the list. This surely has cost her several hundred votes and means she will have to revive her hot mix driveway programme.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Driveway paving v2?

    Must ga money trees growing on that bluff farm

  6. Anonymous says:

    Big, Big joke as usual, the voters are the biggest joke of all

  7. Christmas Breeze? I can only feel the forthcoming electioneering gale says:

    You can always tell when it is election season in Cayman

    You can hear the wind singing through the branches and leaves of the proverbial money tree as the members of government begin to curry favour with groups and people using their ability to allocate funds and select beneficial projects all conveniently timed to be highly visible during the run up to elections

    Queue the photo-ops, groundbreaking ceremonies and grandiose declarations to be made over the next 6 months

  8. McCarron McLaughlin says:

    CIFA should not receive one red cent from the CI Government until it pays up outstanding amounts due to the family of the now deceased Mr. Richard “Dick” Christensen.

  9. Anonymous says:

    This government leaves such a bad taste in my mouth…im starting to feel ashamed of being a Caymanian. There is real hardship out there for other Caymanians…and they are spending as if there is no end.

  10. Anonymous says:

    The story is a bit misleading, the additional funds go to only eight sports. Athletics, Basketball, Netball, Swimming, Football, Cricket, Volleyball and Squash.
    https://beta.gov.ky/news/press-release-details/statement-on-increase-funding-for-sports

    • Anonymous says:

      Why is their no money for track?

      • Anonymous says:

        This right here is why they shouldn’t get any.

      • Anonymous says:

        You do know that ‘track’ is part of athletics?
        Why squash and not tennis?
        Why football and not rugby?
        Why swimming and not sailing?
        Why volleyball & not badminton or table tennis?
        The list could keep going….

  11. Anonymous says:

    CIFA is insolvent and cannot pay its debts. Why on earth is the government giving them money?

  12. Anonymous says:

    What sporting criteria did the Government allocate these football funds on! CIFA is now being run like a exclusive club in regards to the makeup of the administrators who are from various clubs, which creates a environment of conflict of interest. Look and see the current makeup of the CIFA football administration and see quite a few faces that was a major part of Mr Webb administration in some capacity.The money that is going to be allocated to CIFA should be distributed to the football Clubs who have consistently proven after school Community youth football development programs of various ages. For the most part, these programs are operating on a shoe string budgets with limited sponsorship if any at all! Because it’s these Programs that facilitate all CIFA different National Teams Programs and the variousfootball leaguesCIFA run! And more importantly keeps a tremendous amount of Social Stability within the Community and
    country as a whole. Most people are not aware how important these after school Community sports programs are to the welfare of our children and how much work goes into these Community Football Programs that is mostly run on volunteerism!Instead of that money being earmarked for administrative purposes it should be used to educate, develop and hire more after school Community based various sporting discipline coaches. There would be no football administrators without these programs! One question! How much affect a administrator have on the life of a child and athlete in a sport compared to a Coach, Mentor, or teacher?

  13. Anonymous says:

    Leader of the opposition – where are you?

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly! Same with the McKeeva situation. Crickets from the opposition.

      The truth is we don’t really have an opposition party at all, or a government party. It’s more like a single organised crime syndicate with a couple of different branches and it’s cozy enough for everyone that there is no incentive to change things or make an effort.

      I hate to say it, but the only solution is to allow expats to run for office. There are just too few good options from among the locals and the lodge is running a closed shop.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Siphoned off to who knows where. That’s the Cayman way though.

  15. Anonymous says:

    SHIT SHOW!!!

  16. Anon says:

    Oh good! That must mean CIFA has audited financials finally!! Where can we see them??

  17. Anonymous says:

    It is amazing how the government is finding all of this money during these challenging times. It must mean that there will be no increases in government fees or taxes for a long time to come.

  18. Anonymous says:

    It just gets worse.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Always clueless and looking to throw away taxpayers money. That’s the cayman brac way.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Juliana is like Jesus finding money to give voters

  21. Anonymous says:

    JOCC buying some votes to keep her job. Wonder if any of that dosh will be spent on paving?

  22. Ambassador of Absurdistan says:

    Just Another Day in Absurdistan

  23. Anonymous says:

    LOL where is that LOL button

  24. Banana Republican says:

    Must be election time so Juju and the UNITY folks are really playing the game. $150K for CIFA is the biggest sign that the politicians will do anything and use public funds to buy public support. Your leaders are clowns that are turning Cayman into a banana republic.

  25. Anonymous says:

    So the sailing club uses these Govt grants to improve the property for the adult sailors in the their big boats. They had money donated to fix the lift that is only used by the adults and the dock fixed that no youths use. There is no children sponsored and the dart money was used to buy new furniture and computers rather than for underprivileged children

    • Anonymous says:

      Except none of this money actually goes to sailing. Sorry. Better luck complaining next time.

      The sports receiving are
      Athletics
      Basketball
      Netball
      Swimming
      Football
      Cricket
      Volleyball and
      Squash

      https://beta.gov.ky/news/press-release-details/statement-on-increase-funding-for-sports

    • Alan ROFFEY says:

      None of this is true.

      The Club’s accounts, already submitted to the Ministry for this financial year, clearly demonstrate that the Club is well run and every penny given by CIG goes to the goals that have been set to receive it.

      The Club has been operating on a grant that was cut in half back in 2010 when the last financial crisis hit but has not cut back on any of its services to the community. The grant represents only one tenth of the Club’s annual revenues.

      The dock repairs were carried out by volunteers with some funding by Central Rotary Club, for which we are grateful. Those docks are used by the Youth Sailing Program nearly every day.

      The crane repairs were funded by those boat owners who use it.

      Sailing was the first sport that any Caymanians participated in the Olympics and it has consistently sent athletes to the highest level of international competition.

      We are disappointed that we have not been included in this latest set of grants but we understand the constraints of the economy and that we are still considered to be something of an elitist organization even as we teach many young Caymanians the greatest skill of their forefathers.

      Commodore – Cayman Islands Sailing Club

  26. Anonymous says:

    This is absolutely great! With all the citizens with no income, many looking at more months of unemployment, few funds for food, rent, utilities, medications… We find a reshuffle of funds for… sports!!!!!!!!!!

    I guess we can simply invent money now!

    Maybe free meat patties will be distributed at the cricket field.

    Nothing these clowns surprises me anymore, how sad.

  27. Anonymous says:

    Thank you CIG. These grants will be of great benefit for our young people. We have a stark choice. Funds these private sector run sports programmes or increase funding for the prison.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah…. sure

      “CI$80,000 of the new money each national association is getting will be used for the directors and for getting the accounts done”

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m not sure those are the only two options! Want to keep kids out of jail, how about you invest in education? Absolutely shameful that some kids go to school hungry, can’t learn when you’re hungry, don’t have running water or electricity, how do you expect a child to be able to focus on maths when they have such bigger problems to worry about? So no help for the kids but sure, give another $150k to CIFA because last time they got money they used it so well to the benefit of the country…

  28. Anonymous says:

    ‘As a result CI$80,000 of the new money each national association is getting will be used for the directors and for getting the accounts done,’
    Who are the directors now? Getting accounts done? LMAO

    • Anonymous says:

      It is actually a requirement of the grant to have accounts completed and audited and in to government.

    • Anonymous says:

      Most of these sports do not have technical directors at the moment, that is a professional that looks after development of the athletes, National team etc. They are not necessarily the coach but they are in charge of the sporting side of things. This is not the volunteer board directors.

  29. Anonymous says:

    Yup. Election right around the corner. Vote JuJu out!

  30. Anonymous says:

    God Bless JuJu for putting the athletic future for our youth first ❤.

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