The worst thing that anyone can do to a child is to make a promise and fail to keep it.
I have seen it happen quite often in my lifetime and witness the reactions of the recipients of broken promises.
In our own society, especially in sport, keeping a promise by stakeholders, seems to lack the value of commitment of those who are blatantly ignoring their pledge to innocent children.
In recent times, the embarrassment of our men’s and women’s footballers leading up to their international competitions, must have had a deleterious effect on the uncomfortable situations which they have found themselves.
Just a few days ago, a promise was made to 81 youngsters who had their dreams bent on their trip to Barbados for a football tour, only to be informed at the last moment that the funds were not made available for them to travel.
Despite the fact that public pressure had brought a partial change of heart to accommodate some of the children, little do we know home much damage has been done to these youngsters.
Thanks to an understanding businessman for making the trip possible for those who would have been omitted because of a shortage of funds.
And before the ink of the journalists pens were placed back into their pockets, the U-20 national football squad were told that their organised tour to Mexico scheduled for the next few days, received the jolt from the Association with the news that the tour was off.
The decision makers of the football teams are clearly not ensuring guarantees before they announce these tours, friendly as they are called.
I strongly challenge their methods of preparing our teams, all of which are scheduled for camps abroad, not always for sound technical reasons.
Because we are not a country which engages in making demands on sound administration by the authorities in whose hands sporting disciplines are placed, the public must take some blame for not shouting their disgust with all to listen.
I have heard it said so often that practice makes perfect, a comment which many believe is the gospel truth.
I differ, practice makes permanent, and if one tries to gain perfection and fails, then the errors become permanent, leaving the project well short of what is required.
With all the grandiose plans to win friends and influence people by our leaders in recent times, the whole picture of helping children to enjoy a life of fun and comfort, is the opposite to those who have to remain home from their Mexico tours and heaven knows, the damage of trust which the enthusiastic youngsters who were saving from having their dreams destroyed.
Please stakeholders, our sport is in a thorough mess, administratively, politically and socially.
Change must be immediate and methodical. Maybe the Good Lord will bring these changes to our nation as yet another special Christmas gift.