BFA’s David Sabir Speaks In New Zealand
A presentation in New Zealand by the Bermuda Football Association’s David Sabir was “inspiring,” according to a story on the Oceania Football Confederation’s website, which noted that some of the OFC’s Member Associations also have small populations like Bermuda, so hearing Mr Sabir speak was “hugely encouraging.”
The story said “When you open with a quote from everyone’s favourite Rastafarian footballer Bob Marley, you are assured to have the attention of the room.
“Which is exactly what David Sabir, General Secretary of the Bermuda Football Association did during the FIFA/OFC Club Licensing Seminar in Auckland, New Zealand yesterday.
“Bob Marley has a saying, ‘Liven Up Yourself’. And I’m going to do that today because there’s no rule that people in administration have to be boring,” he said.
Mr Sabir speaking in New Zeland, photo courtesy of Chad Gibson/LOCALFC
“Sabir has extensive knowledge and experience in the administration of leagues and cup competitions, programme development, development of policy, rules and regulations, international events management and the management and administration of an association.
“It was exactly this background, and the successful implementation of the club licensing system in the Bermuda, which brought him to Oceania.
“There are a lot of similarities between Bermuda and the Member Associations which make up the Oceania Football Confederation, and Sabir has a strong view on how being small isn’t necessarily a negative.
“We don’t think of ourselves as a small nation,” he explained, “meaning that we can’t achieve just because of our size.
“Football is universal, football is played by big nations and small nations, but the rules are the same.
“For some of the OFC’s Member Associations which, like Bermuda, have small populations, hearing Sabir speak was hugely encouraging.
“Vanuatu Football Federation CEO Albert Manaroto said Sabir’s presentation was inspiring and gave him plenty of food for thought.
“I think he had a lot of good things to say and it was good to hear from someone who comes from an MA that has similar challenges to us here in Oceania, but which has found ways to overcome or break them down,” Manaroto said.
“It was similar for Cook Islands Football Association Competitions Manager Pauline Dean, who found Sabir’s delivery engaging.
“Club Licensing is an interesting topic, especially for me as a competitions manager. It relates to how we can improve our competitions and the clubs involved in them.
“David put it in a way we can understand it easily and he was also incredibly inspiring. It is definitely encouraging for us and the future of football development in the Cook Islands hearing how Bermuda has managed to implement this system successfully.”
Well done sir! Very proud of your work!