Plans underway to grow football in Caribbean

NEW YORK (CMC):

Additional support for football in the Caribbean, North America and Central America is underway, thanks to a partnership between Concacaf and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In an announcement made on Thursday, Concacaf and PIF announced a multi-year partnership that will support their shared ambition to grow football at every level of the game in the three regions.

The partnership will support the growth of the sport at all levels, inspiring more people to take up football, as well as boost Concacaf tournaments for men, women and youth of national teams and clubs.

Additionally, the two organisations will collaborate to strengthen and advance Concacaf football development initiatives, with a focus on providing children and youth with access to the sport in all 41 Concacaf federations.

“We are very pleased to announce this new strategic partnership which will support the confederation in developing all levels of football across our region.

“This is a pivotal time for PIF to connect with football in Concacaf. Interest in the sport is growing rapidly in our confederation, and will reach new heights as major Concacaf competitions take place over the next two years and we get closer to the biggest-ever FIFA World Cup taking place in our region in 2026,” Victor Montagliani – the President of Concacaf said.

Meanwhile, Mohammed AlSayyad, head of corporate brands at PIF, said: “We are delighted to partner with Concacaf as the confederation enters an exciting period. Together, we will advance a series of initiatives to create a positive and lasting impact across all Concacaf competitions. As PIF expands its portfolio of inspiring sponsorships, our commitment to investing in sport remains constant.”

The timing of the partnership comes as the region gears up to host major football tournaments in the coming years, including the men’s and women’s Concacaf Champions Cups, the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, and the next FIFA World Cup in 2026, which will be jointly hosted by three Concacaf member federations – Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The PIF and Concacaf partnership will also strengthen the growth and development of existing Concacaf initiatives, including Concacaf’s ‘Bigger Game’, which leverages the popularity of football as a vehicle to deliver sport and education programmes and initiatives in local communities across its 41-member federations, and aims to build community partnerships, improve awareness, and amplify the voices of programme beneficiaries.

In line with PIF’s focus on inclusivity and youth as key pillars of its sponsorship platform, the partnership will also support Concacaf in its efforts to increase the number of official youth championships it delivers in the coming years. This will provide further opportunities for emerging talents in the region, including through the Concacaf under-15, under-17 and under-20 championships for both men and women, and the under-17 and under-20 competitions serving as qualification tournaments for FIFA U17 and U20 World Cups, respectively.

The Concacaf partnership adds to PIF’s growing portfolio of partnerships across tennis, golf, football and electric motorsports, which focuses on investing in people, projects and initiatives and which embraces PIF’s four sponsorship pillars of inclusivity, sustainability, youth and technology.