The Puerto Rican Football Federation (FPF) is continuing to make strides with the roll-out of its own administrative offices, funded by the FIFA Forward Programme. José Alfonso Rodriguez and Sergio Palacios from the FIFA Regional Development Office in Panama, Concacaf’s Mario Monterrosa and FPF President Iván Rivera came together to mark the opening of the new facilities. 

Thanks to a USD1,357,000 cash injection from FIFA’s Forward Programme 2.0 and 3.0, the FPF can now work even more efficiently from its new offices, benefiting everyone involved in Puerto Rican football. 

“The development of new offices in San Juan represents a historic milestone for Puerto Rican football. This goes beyond acquiring a working space,” said Jair Bertoni, FIFA’s Regional Director Americas. “It is an investment in stability, efficiency and good governance, supporting the FPF to achieve its strategic objective and vision.” 

“By establishing a permanent home for the FPF, long-term costs will certainly be reduced, the professionalism of its administration will be enhanced, and more resources can be directed to the sustainable growth and development of football across Puerto Rico.”

FPF President Rivera added: “It took months of hard work to get the FPF’s new offices off the ground. We submitted around 15 proposals to FIFA, and from those that made the cut, we devised a plan for how the offices would be laid out. This approach allowed us to kit out the offices to meet our team’s needs and bring everything under one roof.”

“During this time, we welcomed representatives from FIFA to show them how things were coming along and to collaborate with us on the project, which included a number of improvements.” 

This new administrative hub signals a step in the right direction for Puerto Rican football and the FPF and is a testament to the growth of the game on the island and the massive collective effort that has helped bring this dream project to fruition. 

The FPF’s finances are set to soar thanks to the new offices. By cutting out the overheads it once had for rent, storage, parking and other services, the FPF can now spend that money more wisely and invest more in growing football across the country. 

“This is a historic moment and a first for Puerto Rican football. After 85 years of waiting, the FPF has finally got the offices we have been eagerly anticipating. Expanding our infrastructure bolsters the association and compels us to continue working with the same transparency and responsibility,” continued Mr Rivera, pointing out that, in addition to the FPF’s administrative and sporting staff, local and regional associations across Puerto Rico will also reap the rewards.  

This project would not have been possible without FIFA’s funding and support under the Forward Programme. Part of the budget has gone on interior design upgrades, new signage, and office equipment and supplies, all with the aim of improving the current facilities. 

“It goes without saying that FIFA’s backing of the project is one of our greatest achievements, as associations aspire to have their own facilities, and finally having our own offices has been a long-standing ambition of ours,” Mr Rivera concluded. 

Last year, the FPF also benefited from FIFA’s support to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona, with funding from the FIFA Foundation’s Recovery Programme. The natural disaster that wreaked havoc in September2022 all but decimated Puerto Rico’s football infrastructure, including the technical development centre in Añasco, which was previously upgraded thanks to FIFA Forward funds.