Interview
Desmond Cooper How long have you been in Antigua? I’ve been here since the end of January, learning all the ins and outs of the island. Although I’ve visited many times as my mother is Antiguan and I have family here, I’ve never fully lived here until now. I’ve been learning the culture and how sports are handled as I don’t want to arrive and immediately impose who I am on everyone. It’s important to be a part of the culture first and then slowly and progressively introduce your ideologies and your mindset on people who are willing to accept it. Why would you like to introduce American football on the island? The kids in Antigua play soccer and cricket, but they don’t have any other professional sports. Everyone complains about youth being on the streets or at home playing video games, but we have to think about what we are giving them as an outlet. How are we helping them to do better in society? What are we as adults doing to show them the correct way forward? From an early age, I realised that youth would run the world one day and if we want to leave the world a better place then we need to focus on them. Football has taken me all over the world and been such a huge impact in my life, I felt it was time to bring it to another country and give back to the young people. Can you tell us about your plans on the island? I have a 15 to 20 year-plan. The biggest part of it is to set up a facility with two artificial turf fields, a grass field, an indoor basketball court, an indoor swimming hall, a track and a gym. We will also have a hotel for professional athletes
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THE CITIZEN
who come to train in addition to a dormitory-style place for youth tournaments. Caribbean people often need visas to go and play tournaments elsewhere, but if they go from island to island, then they don’t need a visa. It makes sense to have a central place where they can come and play without that hassle. It will also give young people an opportunity to leave the island if they wish, then, when they come back one day, they can give back. It’s a trickle-down effect that will help young people. It will also help tourism on the island. American football is a very tough sport so we’re starting with flag football where there is much less risk of injury and so safer for kids. We are starting at both primary and secondary school level to give them a feel of what it’s like to have competition and rivalry. By giving the schools team names and having mascots, they’ll feel like they’re part of something. Their classmates can come to games and cheer them on. We want them to have that full-on American feel of being part of a school. All you need for flag football are flags and footballs and you can use the school field. We currently have 12 schools signed up, both private and public. We haven’t started yet due to the pandemic, but it has allowed us time to plan everything so we can hit the ground running when it starts. We want an even playing field for all children no matter how much money they have. We’re working with sponsors, meaning that no matter which school a child attends, they don’t have to worry about affording it. We will take care of everything other than the cleats they will be wearing. I also plan to bring in my friends from both the NFL in the US and Europe to come and coach and run camps.
