Shadow Minister for Youth and Sport Jon Brunson has called for the formation of a National Sports Council as well as a total restructuring of the way sport is administered in Bermuda, arguing that this “is the only way” the Island is ever going to become a successful international sporting nation.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday, Brunson expressed his concern at what he sees as a stagnant sporting culture and pointed to the example set by other Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica as one that Bermuda would do well to follow.

“There are serious underlying problems with sports development in Bermuda and and it is time we stopped talking about it and stood up and did something about it,” he said.

“The withdrawal of Social Club from the football league was a very significant moment in our sporting history because it was once a pillar of strength. When you see organisations like that falling by the wayside, it is a clear indication that things are not what they should be.”

The MP argued that under the present system, national sports associations were too often acting in isolation from one another and the local sporting community would be better served by a “national body which creates effective structures” through which to raise funds for grass roots sporting initiatives and force all national associations to be more accountable and ambitious.

If he was to serve as Minister for Youth and Sport, Brunson said he would push for the establishment of the council, made up of one delegate from each of the national sporting bodies, with the task of “lobbying the corporate community as one and from a position of strength” and then to allocate the funds to the various sporting bodies, depending on their needs.

“At the moment, there are all these national bodies and everybody is out there doing their own thing and the system is not coherent,” he explained.

“It is preposterous, for instance, that for the CARIFTA Games, coming soon to Bermuda, the Bermuda Track and Field Association are out there, basically by themselves, trying to raise the funds required in order to rent the National Sports Centre for the allotted time. CARIFTA is an international event, endorsed by government, which will involve many of our young national athletes. If we had a National Sports Council, we could have raised money for this event, together, in a much more efficient and professional manner.”

“Let's look at the example of islands like Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad,” he continued.

“These islands are a heck of a lot less wealthy than we are but over the last 15 to 20 years they have put in place structures which breed successful sportsmen.”

How have they done this?

“The answer is that they have fully committed to their national sports,” Brunson replied.

“They are organised, committed and therefore financed and operate through an effective pyramid structure from the grass roots, right up to an elite level. We have to make sure that our system is as streamlined and as efficient as theirs so we can nurture the talent that undoubtedly exists.”

Turning his attention to the plight of many of Bermuda's elite sportsmen and women, Brunson said he felt they were still not being given the financial support they really deserved.

“Look at people like Nick Kyme, Kavin Smith and James Collieson,” he continued.

“They are all making, or have made, enormous personal sacrifices but have had to cope with unnecessary financial constraints which could be avoidable. It is still far too difficult to be an elite athlete on this Island and through a National Sports Council and a better, more collective structure, I believe this could be changed.”

Brunson was also keen to address widespread concern over increasing incidents of violence and drug abuse at many local sporting clubs, arguing that “extreme short-term measures” were needed in order to stamp out the persistence of an unruly minority.

“If we are really going to be serious about tackling this issue, then we need to take drastic steps,” he said.

“There needs to be a greater visible Police presence at all communal sporting events and I would even suggest the employment of parts of the Regiment in areas where the Police are stretched. This might sound a bit militant, but they are an extension of the Police force and therefore public safety and I think they could have a role. Why not utilise a service trained in crowd dispersement and used to dealing with hostile or unruly crowds?”

The shadow minister urged clubs to “arm themselves with the tools of crime prevention” by installing close-circuit television systems as soon as possible and “not to turn a blind eye” to criminal activity on their properties. He also saw “no reason” why Police should not search individuals for drugs and potential weapons before entering club grounds.

“From an elite level, through to the sports clubs and in schools, there has to be major changes. Sport in my view is a critical part of youth development. Not everybody is an academic and it is important that we have a system which provides another viable outlet for expression. We do not take sport's role in developing a vibrant society seriously enough at times. At the moment, I think we sometimes expect too much and anticipate excellence from a system which rarely produces it.”