As www.islandstats.com reported last month, work on the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence had commenced, the Bermuda Football Association today held a Ground breaking Ceremony.
A humbled Best who is a Honorary Vice President of the BFA said, “It was because of the FIFA game of football that I was able to achieve what I did. My mom and dad are not here no more but if you are up there looking I know you would be proud. This is something I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Visiting FIFA Officials including Flavia Lopez the FIFA Manager of Performance Programme, Anton Corneal, a FIFA Technical Consultant, the FIFA Development Officer Angenie Kanhai and Claude Hollenstein, the Strategic Projects Manager of the Marketing Division joined the President of the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) Larry Mussenden as well as Minister of Community and Cultural Development Wayne Scott and Minister of Public Works Trevor Moniz and BFA Executives in the ground breaking Ceremony with Clyde Best in attendance.
BFA President Mussenden said, “FIFA gave to the Bermuda Football Association and people of Bermuda $1.5 million a few years ago to develop the field and for the building that’s going to go here, FIFA have given us over the period of two or three phases $1.3 million to erect the two-storey building.”
Sports Minister Wayne Scott praised the construction of the building which will honor a Bermuda legend. “I’m delighted to be associated with this ground breaking ceremony,” he said. “The BFA’s dream of having its own facility is finally coming to fruition and in the process a Bermuda football icon will be indelibly memorialized as the BFA’s Academy of Excellence will be named after Clyde Best.”
Randy Horton the Speaker of the House and a former teammate of Best with the Somerset Trojans said, “At the time he came along, more importantly he paved the way for black players in Europe. I go to Europe now and you mention Clyde Best’s name and everybody knows him. Little black boys in England, especially, wanted to be like Clyde Best.”
