NAOC meets with Saba United Sports Federation

NAOC representatives (v. Wilgen, Henriquez & Tevreden) met with members of the new Saba United Sports Federation (SUSF) to explain the benefits of being a member of the NAOC and to give update on future changes Tuesday evening 9 June 2009. The most important message was to assure the new Saba Federation that the NAOC will remain, even with the same name, after the country Netherlands Antilles has been dismantled.  Secretary General Imro van Wilgen said that “Netherlands Antilles” would mean the regional grouping of the five islands, rather than a political entity.

Addressing Saba’s needs, Van Wilgen said that given the small size of the island it was important to focus on only a few sports so that teams would have enough members to have competitions. Members of the Saba Sports Federation pointed out that Saba’s size makes on-island competition difficult, and visiting neighboring islands is very expensive as transportation has not been covered by external grants in the past. Island government has been generous in assisting with buses to the distant sports fields, none of which are near the schools, and also helps defray travel costs. Director Remco Tevreden said that since his appointment in NAOC, it was his fourth visit to Saba and he was happy to see that a Saba Federation had been created to organize and promote sports in a more organized and sustainable fashion. He encouraged long range planning.