The Covid-19 pandemic proved the worth of Punta Cana resorts that served as a bubble for sports events during 2020 and 2021. Sports tourism continues big in Punta Cana.
Now, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) is taking the development of the Dominican Republic as a destination for football a step further.
On 2 December 2023, Concacaf authorities were in Cap Cana, the southern residential and resort area in Punta Cana, to break ground for the construction of One Concacaf Home of Football. The state-of-the-art football facility will be a place to host technical courses, referee development initiatives and official/friendly competitions and matches.
Concacaf announces that the One Concacaf Home of Football is being built to benefit the technical development of all 41 of the Confederation’s member associations.
The facility will include several high-quality international standard fields, locker rooms, technical education classrooms and a gym, with scope for further expansion in the future.
Tourism Minister David Collado attended the groundbreaking ceremony led by Concacaf president and FIFA vice president, Victor Montagliani, Concacaf Member Association presidents, and Concacaf Council members. They were hosted in Cap Cana by the executive president of Cap Cana Ciudad Destino, Jorge Subero Medina and the president of the board of directors of Cap Cana, Fernando Hazoury.
“The One Concacaf Home of Football will be a tremendous facility for our Confederation and will provide huge benefits to the football development efforts of all of our member associations,” said Concacaf President and FIFA vice president, Victor Montagliani. “Having a state-of-the-art facility which we can call our own, which will host coach licensing courses, referee development initiatives, and a host of other programs and competitions will be a game-changer for Concacaf and our federations. I want to sincerely thank our 41 Member Association presidents for their wholehearted support for this project, and local stakeholders in Cap Cana for partnering with us on this hugely important initiative,” added Montagliani.
Concacaf has yet to release a timetable for the completion of the new facility.
The organization explains that the location for the One Concacaf Home of Football was determined following a rigorous selection process, considering territories and sites across the region. Key consideration was given to transportation and connectivity within the region, accommodation, climate, security, government and local stakeholder support, and a range of other factors.
Concacaf is one of the International Federation of Football (FIFA) six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 41 member associations represent countries and territories mainly in North America, including the Caribbean and Central America, and, for geopolitical reasons, three nations from the Guianas subregion of South America—Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana (an overseas region of France). The CONCACAF’s primary functions are to organize competitions for national teams and clubs, and to conduct the World Cup and Women’s World Cup qualifying tournaments.
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Concacaf
5 December 2023