By Jonteau Coppin
Founder of the Oasis Sports Club, Rohan Ford, has a simple life philosophy – if you want to see positive change, be the champion that drives the effort.
Speaking with Barbados TODAY, Ford stated that the idea for the Oasis sports facility at Kendall Hill, Christ Church, was born from wanting to provide a permanent, organised environment that would foster a community spirit where people could interact with each other through sports or otherwise. He added the desire for this began when he and his friends kept having to find new places to play football due to the prohibitive nature of neighbouring establishments over available space.
“We have been playing football (recreational) for a decade now. We have been playing on the road, pastures, car parks, anywhere where we could play and every year we would get told to move. Establishments would always say football would have the underbelly of society or bad elements or it would always lead to fighting. The final straw was when we used to pay for light tokens and play on the public pastures and then we were told we could no longer purchase light tokens unless we had a club with the Barbados Football Association. After that we decided to build our own field,” Ford said.
In 2018, Ford and some of his friends built the 12,000 square feet rubber surfaced, LED-lit multipurpose court in Kendall Hill. The court has an adjoining 60-foot container bar and deck space with ample parking. Financing such a project was difficult, especially without the help of the Barbados Football Association and National Sports Council. But Ford insisted they did not want any help.
“We want to operate autonomously. Financing it was not easy and it continues not to be. It has been the most challenging thing I have ever done but this is the evolution of a community centre where people can use it for whatever they need it for. Since starting Oasis, the community has grown, and we have had around 400 players take part,” he said.
Ford explained that within the community of players, there are influential people in different fields who came together to make “The Oasis” work. These were from sponsors to lawyers helping with potential legal matters, structural engineers, contractors, financial consultants, plumbers and electricians.
The rise in Covid-19 cases has brought everything especially sports in Barbados to a standstill, but it has not put off plans for expansion. Ford said that before the end of the year, they will be expanding to a semi-covered facility with two playable fields with an extended food and bar area. There are also plans to maximise relationships formed with international persons doing similar ventures in New York, London and Italy to facilitate overseas tours to play football or host teams in Barbados.
Ford works in business consultancy, particularly related to sustainable energy.
