Another Sports Initiative by the Ministry of Sports Gets Started

The Sports Development Unit in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, has partnered with the Barbados Football Association, to stage the inaugural Barbados Beach Soccer Championship 2025.

This full action-packed beach competition has attracted some 30 teams from across Barbados, involving over 350 players. The tournament, got underway last Sunday, October 5th on the beach by Stade’s Visitor Centre at Brighton, St. Michael and will run to November 16th with matches being played at the Brighton, Browne’s and Brandon’s Beaches in St Michael. The teams are competing for a first prize of $10,000.00.

Manager of Stade’s Visitor Centre, Ramon Watson, in welcoming the Championship officials and players to the Centre, lauded the tournament saying he’s happy to see young men involved in positive activity, rather than negative behaviours, which capture headlines in the media. He noted that his company was very happy to partner with the Ministry on this project and looked forward to a successful tournament.

In delivering the featured remarks at the opening of the 2025 Championship, the Hon. Charles Griffith, Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, encouraged players to fully display their talents as the game is a world sport and Barbados is looking to create a team for the international level. “As players, you are not just kicking for a first prize. Barbados is looking to have a beach football team that is fit for purpose, which can represent the island at the highest level internationally”, he stated.

In this regard, Minister Griffith noted that the Ministry will be embarking on talent identification to develop a pool of players to train towards the forming of a national beach soccer team. He added “You have all to play for and you are walking on history’s pages, so play the sport, enjoy it, play it fair and make it to the top level”.

President of the Barbados Football Association, Randy Harris who also attended the opening ceremony, told the players “the opportunities are endless in beach soccer,” exhorting them “to look at it as an opportunity since they never know where this humble beginning can take them”.

The BFA President told the teams present “Bermuda which is smaller than Barbados has taken a team to the Beach Soccer World Cup and he believes that if they can do it, Barbados can do so as well”. Mr. Harris also thanked the Ministry for conceptualising and bringing the tournament to the public.

Sports Development Officer, Stephen Rowe, who emceed the opening proceedings, shared the details of the championship, stating that it was a foundation for building community and beach soccer that had the potential to propel players to national stardom. While acknowledging the success of the Prime Minister’s Cup, the Sports Development Officer stated that the Ministry was always seeking new opportunities to unearth talent and broaden Barbados’ athletic footprint on the world.

Mr. Rowe also disclosed that the tournament was not male focused and looked forward to the 2026 tournament, where he hopes Barbados will see females in the championship. The games run on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.