Hilaire clarifies his prior statements by saying that the government has to hand the grounds at Marchand over to ICC officials for the upcoming World Cup. While the games will be held at the Daren Sammy Cricket Grounds, he says the cricket officials will use the Mindoo Phillip Park as training grounds for the competing teams.
“The last time that we spoke, I indicated that we had not yet decided where it would be, and that we were in discussions with regards to the venue being upgraded and prepared for the ICC World Cup. I wanted to make sure it would be available, both in terms of the work being finished and ensuring that the handover is within the contractual period,” he said.
This clash, however, highlights the competing interests between sports and entertainment. Hilaire says as the country does not have a dedicated entertainment facility, playing fields must be used.
“We have no dedicated facility for mass crowd events. So we have to double up. Pigeon Point is used and it is a national park and there are serious issues about conservation. Daren Sammy Cricket Ground is used but we have challenges. Mindoo Phillip Park has been used in the past but it’s very problematic to use Mindoo Phillip Park during the rainy season because of the surface,” he explained.
The Tourism Minister says the government intends to build the country’s first-ever entertainment facility in the Cul De Sac region. This initiative, he says, is in the works.
“I’ve heard a couple of comments - everybody wants their surface to remain pristine and perfect for sports. But we don’t have the luxury right now to have a dedicated facility to go to. It is our intention to build a facility at Cul De Sac. Until we do so, we have to double up.”
The entertainment facility is high on the government’s priority list, he adds.
“It’s a significant item for us…the thinking is to have a youth creativity park alongside an entertainment facility. There will be creative units and it will add to the youth economy agency we’ve started. But, hopefully, we should start soon.”
In the interim, the Minister says events will be held on playing fields.