The CONCACAF Sports Summit scheduled for the Cayman Islands today will have a wide range of speakers, each attempting to speak authoritatively on the broad-based co-operative theme ‘Transformation Through Change’.

The one-day session has brought together experts in various fields of endevour with the ultimate goal of positioning football in CONCACAF — and the wider footballer constituency — as a tool to broker social change and to engender co-operation with businesses, governments, media and all other stakeholders.

Also, the forum will seek to present the positive side of football and the role the global game has played in changing the fabric of societies otherwise burdened by social pressures, poverty, sickness and persecution of varying degrees.

“Football provides a range of benefits to society, producing identifiable results in areas such as health, education, collaboration and community building. Importantly, the game also possesses the power to mobilise people and energise programmess that offer direct impact,” said a CONCACAF release.

“Our goals of change and transformation cannot be achieved without partnership with businesses who see opportunities for their brands, products and services within the football world,” it went on.

Today’s event, which will take place at the glitzy Ritz Carlton resort on Grand Cayman’s famous beach strip, will kick off this morning at 9:00 am with the official opening by CONCACAF president and host, Jeffrey Webb.

That will be followed by what is expected to be an indepth and thought-provoking keynote address by FIFA president Joseph ‘Sepp’ Blatter. who will speak on the topic of ‘The Power of Football’.

In the ensuing segment billed ‘Football Changed My Life’, among the confirmed speakers are former Trinidad and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke and former France goalkeeper Berbard Lama.

A look at the game’s positive impact on society, where success stories of programmes “utilising football as a tool for positive change” will be delivered by UNAIDS senior advisor to the excecutive director Dr Djibril Diallo, FIFA’s chief medical officer Dr Jiri Dvorak and managing director Street Football World USA, Mike Geddes.

Following that, experts will zoom in football as a business and its allure to corporate companies. The main speakers will be FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, group head of marketing at Digicel, director of US Soccer Sports Marketing, Nike and director of football and NBA management, the Coca-Cola company Amber Steele.

Also included on the packed but engaging programme are presentations by CEO of the FIFA World Cup South Africa Danny Jordaan who will tackle ‘Football in Your Economy’.

The session ‘Creating Successful Partnerships for the Development of Football’ will see Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who also hold the Sports Minister porfolio in her cabinet, addressing the top. Also, Nic Coward, general secretary of the English Premier League and Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer will give their insights on the subject matter.

The activities of the summit started with a cocktail reception which was followed by a gala dinner hosted by CONCACAF boss Webb at the Ritz Carlton yesterday.

BLATTER… FIFA president to deliver keynote address today

WEBB… will officially open CONCACAF sports summit

SIMPSON MILLER… Jamaican Prime Minister to make presentation at summit