Clubs striving to improve their facilities should not rely solely on Government for handouts, says Sports Minister Randy Horton.

Horton said one of his major goals this year was to improve the standards of the Island's many clubs but he said the clubs themselves needed to share the same vision.

"I know that they are in dire need of help but they have also got to help themselves," he said. "We in Government are not here to provide handouts. However, we are here to provide some support, help and guidance in every way possible."

It is no secret that many clubs - from Sandys to St. George's - are weighed down by financial burdens and virtually no one has gone unscathed.

Admittedly, some of the problems have been of their own making with clubs continuing to elect members to important positions with little or no administrative experience.

In such situations clubs are slowly torn apart, their ability to function breaks down and eventually just one or two dedicated administrators are left behind after the rest have thrown in the towel.

"In order for us to help we must know exactly what's going on," Horton said, adding that his Ministry had had some challenges in getting information from clubs for a survey it was doing.

"We want to find out how they are operating, where they are having difficulties," he said. "We want them to give us information on how they have been progressing, but too many have not come forward with this information. We want to help the clubs, but they have to be open and up front with us.

"We are going to have to approach the clubs we haven't heard from and hopefully if we go one-on-one with them we will be able to make some progress in finding ways to assist them."

Just last week problems affecting Western Stars, operators of the Government-owned facilities at St. John's Field, surfaced with news that the the Ministry of Works and Engineering had given them until April 30 to get their facilities up to the required standard.

Horton was unable to comment on that situation, but was aware that similar problems existed at other clubs.

"What we must remember is that the clubs play a vital social role in the various communities," he said. "I have always said that as soccer goes so goes our social fabric. When soccer goes well, things in our community go well."