Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
In a pivotal event for Puerto Rican football, the Puerto Rican Football Federation (FPF) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter in its history with the laying of the foundation stone for what will be ‘The House of the National Team’. This initiative marks another step forward in the development of the sport on the Caribbean island.
With the technical and financial backing of FIFA’s Forward Development program, the FPF has purchased a vast plot of just over 38,000 square metres. “If you want good results, players need to have good rest, good training, good food, and good facilities. Today we are trying to create those facilities. We are taking it step by step. This is a process, and football did not have one until now,” said Iván Rivera Gutiérrez, President of the FPF.
Located in Coamo, the plot is not only significant for its size but also for its strategic location: it is situated approximately 100 km from Mayagüez and San Juan, two of the country’s main cities.
The sports complex will offer top-tier facilities. Among the planned projects are a hotel capable of hosting two Puerto Rican national teams simultaneously incorporating a dining room, technical centre, gym and medical area. The facility will also feature three playing fields – one with natural grass, another with artificial turf, and one designated for futsal.
Moreover, with player needs front and centre, the facility will also feature additional services like a laundry, ample parking, and green communal areas, thus promoting a holistic environment for top-level sportsmen and women.
“We began significant work at the Añasco regional football complex through our Forward Development program, which reflects the good management carried out by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. Today, after much effort, we have made Coamo the nerve centre of Puerto Rican football,” said Jair Bertoni, Regional Director Americas – FIFA Member Associations Americas.
“The positive results the national teams are achieving must be matched by suitable conditions, to enable both male and female players to continue to develop in a high-performance environment, even in other formats, such as futsal. For this reason, we will provide the national teams with top-level sports facilities, which will facilitate the FPF’s goal of aiming to qualify for a FIFA World Cup,” he continued.
This project is a clear demonstration of the Puerto Rican Football Federation’s commitment to the growth and strengthening of football on the island. Investing in infrastructure of this magnitude benefits not only the current generation of footballers but also becomes a breeding ground to promote youth-level football, helping, the FPF hope, to take Puerto Rican football to the next level in the future.
