Major developments planned by BFA for 2026

The appointments of a new Technical Director and a FIFA talent coach, as well as remedial work on the playing surface at the Wildey Technical Centre, are among the major objectives to be tackled by the Barbados Football Association during the upcoming year.

This was revealed by BFA president Randy Harris, during an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY following Tuesday’s annual general meeting.

Harris described 2025 as a “pretty good year”, although he admitted that the results at the senior level weren’t what were expected. 

“But there are some policies and appointments to be made shortly by the BFA, that we think would improve not only performance on the field…but also to look at serious development much earlier,” Harris said.

Following the departure of Mark Nunes after less than a year in the role, one of the major vacancies to be filled at the BFA is that of Technical Director. 

However, Harris said things are progressing smoothly towards the new appointment.

“Well as you know, it is a position that is funded by FIFA and they have taken a very active role in the selection of the candidate. 

“We are now going through the final phases of looking at what is the best fit for Barbados at this time and I believe that within a month or two, we should have the appointment of the new Technical Director,” Harris revealed.

“After that with the FIFA talent development scheme, I believe that we will have a talent coach appointed directly by FIFA. This is a development we really are looking forward to in a positive way.”

Harris says an ongoing issue with the foundation and the associated components needed for the completion of the much delayed grandstand at the Wildey Technical Centre could also move closer to completion in the coming months. 

“We are at a stage where we are looking at taking a legal role to deal with the issues regarding the project. It should have been completed since the end of 2024 and we have been advised to take a number of steps in a systematic way. That is what we’re doing at the moment,” he said. 

Due to a section of the playing surface at the venue having uneven bounce, Barbados is currently prohibited from playing international games at the Wildey Technical Centre. Harris says progress is also being made in this regard.

“We have received some material that we have to use to complete a new preparation of the pitch. After we have done our part of the bargain, FIFA will return to do their inspection and hopefully we will get over that hurdle,” the BFA president said.

Speaking on the attendance at the AGM, Harris said with no elections scheduled for this year numbers at the meeting were disappointing.

“The attendance was not what we would like to see, because the AGM really is to report on our performance and to get feedback from our clubs, in areas where there can be some improvement, but all in all everything went well and we look forward to a positive completion,” Harris said.