Govt must come clean on stadia
by Peter O'Connor (Sunday Newsday)
WITH THE CONCACAF Women’s U-17 qualifiers now being played at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago; and the Marvin Lee Stadium at Macoya, we still see no break in the dispute with the Government over the use of stadiums in Trinidad for international football.
So today we need to look at the value of hosting sports events versus the announced intention of the Government to make sports venues financially self sufficient.
I am not sure that sports facilities—other than maybe in major first world cities— can actually “pay for themselves”, meaning amortisation, maintenance, running costs, and event costs.
If such facilities were able to pay for themselves, then businessmen would build them. Actually, what happens in the first world, which we are so desperate to follow, is that countries, states or cities build sports facilities for two reasons. At the neighbourhood level they build facilities so that citizens can play sports, live healthier lifestyles, and train children in the discipline and self-worth which sport can provide.
On the wider level, they build facilities which will attract major sports events into their country or city, well aware that this investment will enhance the tourism and economic potential of their city or country.
And it works! Sports tourism is the fastest growing sector of world tourism, and most of the world understands and exploits this. We, in Trinidad, as I have said before, do not. They, in Tobago, do.
So while our Government tries to justify that the stadium charges for football should be high enough to fund the running costs of the facilities, we have no international football at any of the four main stadiums in Trinidad.
This has already affected international matches, including a World Cup Qualifier. It is also affecting the CONCACAF Women’s tournament now being played, and has sent the upcoming Caribbean Youth Championships—Boys and Girls U-16 and U-15 respectively, to schools grounds around the country.
Our World Cup Home Qualifiers are also in jeopardy while this situation festers, although it might be argued that playing Home matches in New York or Miami might bring more vociferous support than we get at Hasely Crawford. However, I, and I am sure most of us, would much rather play at home.
So, please, let us all lean on our Government to come up with a rational decision on the use of stadia for our international football, and by so doing, bring TT to the world, and the world to TT. Let the country earn the money on the tourism potential of hosting football.
It is informative to note the help which Jamaica continues to get from their government. While they have had two changes in political administration, and two in football administration, Football remains, like Reggae, a Jamaica thing.
Here in Trinidad, we cannot understand that. Also, Rene Simoes and his Technical staff are paid US$100,000.00 a month by the Jamaican government.
Jamaica wants to put Reggae in South Africa. Only TTFF wants to send Soca there! And, still in Jamaica, their Federation has just announced increases in the cost of admission to “The Office” for their home matches.
Prices were increased by more than 50 percent—bleachers, and more than 70 percent in the covered stands. There was no attack by the Jamaica government on the JFF for this.
Trinidad and Tobago also needs to know from our Government if they can host the World Women’s U-17 Tournament here in 2010. Why must this matter take weeks, and several meetings to get the agreement? Surely this is a win-win situation for TT?
We already have the stadia, we certainly have the experience, and several new hotels have been built since we successfully hosted the Boys’ version in 2001. It is refreshing to note editorials in the media in support of our hosting this event. What I find strange in the Government’s reluctance to support TT Football, is that they have so much to gain when TT succeeds in any sport. Can it really be that they do not want this glory just because it involves dealing with an Opposition Parliamentarian?
There is one more area of peacemaking which needs to be clarified. Government announced, relative to the dispute on bonus payments due to the Soca Warriors, that they had “given” over $88 million to the Federation.
This sum needs to be itemised, and so far Government has ignored TTFF requests to do so. It is most unfair to lead the players into thinking that some $44 million (50 percent) is due to them, if these monies were actually used to send a Government cultural contingent to Germany, and for Government bonuses to the team.
