ICC to offer stadium management assistance
-at post-CWC conference
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
April 13, 2007
Guyana and the eight other host venues of Cricket World Cup 2007 would be invited to a post-CWC management conference when it is expected the International Cricket Council (ICC) would offer assistance with the future management of the stadiums.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport and Chairman of the Guyana Local Organising Committee Dr Frank Anthony said the government has identified a manager for the stadium.
Singh told the media last Saturday that the manager is to provide an action plan for the future development of the stadium. The manager ap-pointed by the government in the run-up to the six Super Eight matches held over the past two weeks in Guyana was former minister of culture Anthony Xavier, who as the then public works minister had overseen the initial construction phase of the stadium.
The Guyana National Stadium at Providence was built at a cost of US$25 million, the funding for which was provided by the Indian government.
In a recent interview with Stabroek News, ICC CWC Chief Operating Officer and Venue Development Director Don Lockerbie said that one of the legacies for CWC 2007 is for the ICC "to host a post-world cup management conference in which we are going to suggest that governments sit down with us and let us provide some assistance in helping them move forward with the stadiums through the establishment of management companies."
He noted that in Barbados, there is a management company that "is already up and running" in managing the affairs of the Kensington Oval. "I think it a good model," that other Caribbean countries could follow, he said. It should be noted that some of the stadiums are government-owned while clubs in the region own the others. Twelve new stadiums were developed for the CWC 2007 tournament.
Lockerbie, who has worked on the development of stadiums for the Olympic Games, said the region needs to study what the United States, the UK and other countries around the world have been doing with their stadiums to maintain them. Regional governments, he said, do not need to reinvent the wheel but simply to follow what has worked.
He suggested that they become part of the World's Stadiums Association and Stadiums Management Associations, and that the venues not be used only for cricket but for other sport, entertainment and religious events.
In the short and medium term, Lockerbie said, "Everyone has to make sure that the stadiums are kept in order for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2010." He said three or four of the region's stadiums would be used for the 2010 tournament and some of the others for the warm-up matches.
"There is a very good chance that most of the venues would have a shot at hosting the championship trophy in another two or three years in another world game," he said, adding that "the governments and the cricket boards would have to have plans in place for proper management and maintenance. The CWC does not end on April 28."
However, Lockerbie said, April 28, 2007 marks a whole new era for the West Indies cricket board, players, stadiums and the people. He urged that stadiums be treated "not as sacred cows" but as "temples of sports" around which development in the various social and economic strata evolve.
He noted that in areas where new stadiums were built or completely reconstructed there is potential for the development of industries to generate revenue and job creation and this includes entertainment areas and stores, not only for visitors but also for the "common folks to enjoy."
At his press conference on Wednesday, President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that while no decisions have been taken as yet, a new management formula is being looked at for the stadium. Additional facilities at the stadium are likely to include lighting for playing cricket at night and a whole range of activities, which might include a 20/20 match in the near future.
It is intended that the stadium would be used to the maximum, Jagdeo told the media. This would include football matches, concerts and church activities with special protection for the cricket pitches.
Guyana would also be putting in its bid to host the 2010 ICC Championship Trophy matches and the organisers "cannot use rain", non-attendance at cricket matches or poor security to exclude Guyana from being among the three or four Caribbean venues to host matches. "We are going to fight tooth and nail to get some matches," he said.