[FOOTBALL]

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, Feb 10 - The Grenada Football Association (GFA) is hoping to access FIFA's assistance programme easily with the formulation of a long-term plan.

 The GFA is hosting a two-day GOAL Planning Workshop at the National Stadium.

 This workshop is intended to put Grenada in line with other FIFA affiliates in preparing long-term programmes.

 FIFA's Regional Development Officer, Keith Look-loy said the workshop is intended to satisfy a number of requirements.

 "One, is the requirement of FIFA that every recipient of its financial assistance should provide evidence of a long-term plan for the development of the football in order to access the money.

 So therefore in the Caribbean and Central America we have embarked on a process of implementing these workshops," Look-loy said.

  He said FIFA has invested more than US$40 million in the Caribbean over the last five years and "having invested so much money in the Caribbean alone is very much interested in ensuring that this money is well spent but more than that that this money bears fruit in the immediate, medium and long-term future".

 The workshop has attracted administrators, coaches, referees, medical experts and sponsors.

 The hope is that following the workshop a long-term plan will be formulated and the GFA will be able to access available funding for technical support.