By Omaira Martínez Cardona – Colombian Journalist
I had the fortune of attending the final game of a youth soccer tournament in which one of the teams from the Mako Soccer Club in Port St. Lucie won the championship. The excitement and sense of community generated among parents, coaches, neighbors, and the broader community caught my attention about the need to promote sports more actively among children and young people through local governments, as one of the best strategies for peaceful coexistence.
The atmosphere of healthy competition not only fuels adrenaline but also becomes a way to bring families together around their children’s participation in games and to meet other parents, families, and cultures. However, what few realize is that most of these local and county-level sports promotion programs are not included in the state budget. As a result, most sports clubs in any discipline must rely on participant fees, donations, and private sponsors for funding.
The state of Florida, like most states in the country, does not have a centralized and explicit budget allocation for sports promotion. Instead, investment is distributed across sectors such as education through some university scholarships, public sports facilities, and the development of local and university programs, like the University of Florida’s (UF) athletics budget, which exceeds $200 million.
Beyond the debates that arise when proposing the construction of new sports facilities, the importance of promoting sports in the holistic development of individuals must be considered. In many of our Latin American countries, sports have become an alternative to prevent violence and focus young people’s interests on healthier, more positive habits. In the departmental and national budgets of my native Colombia, for example, there are specific—though still insufficient—funds allocated for the promotion, encouragement, and training in sports. There are youth programs that allow children from low-income families to access sports training free of charge.
From these youth programs and sports played in public facilities have emerged great athletes who are now a source of pride and who dedicate much of their substantial earnings to their own foundations for sports training and promotion. So, let’s pay more attention to sports. Now that we know several World Cup matches will be played in this country, hopefully a significant portion of the expected revenue will be allocated to sports promotion.
oma66co@gmail.com
