Multi-purpose facility for Presentation.
T&T Express Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago will soon have a brand new, state-of-the-art indoor sporting facility. The multi-purpose facility will be built on the grounds of Presentation College, Chaguanas, by the Alumni Association of the Presentation College Chaguanas (AAPCC).
Deepak Lall, president of the AAPCC, made the announcement at the Alumni’s recent end of year dinner, “Legacy” at Signature Hall in Chaguanas. The school has produced numerous top sportsmen over the years including current West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin, former WIPA president & CEO Dinanath Ramnarine, two- time national badminton Champion Rahul Rampersad and 2014 junior cyclist of the year Ian Cole.
Lall said the time had come to have a dedicated space for indoor sports at the school since space was limited in the current school hall for indoor sport. The Presentation College Chaguanas International Sports Centre (ISC) will be custom built to international standards, encompassing both European and American standards.
These standards will cover Indoor Surfaces for Multisport use specification, playing field equipment, equipment-Functional & Safety Requirements, and sports lighting. Meetings have already been held with an internationally recognised foreign consultant based in the USA to oversee its design.
When built to these standards, the facility will be able to host international events for the following sports: volleyball, badminton, table tennis, basketball, martial arts, indoor cricket, gymnastics, archery, futsal, bowling, boxing, and all the board games—chess and scrabble—as well as being available to the students of the school.
In addition, over 1000 square feet of gym space will be available, which provides the potential for other sports like powerlifting. Already, permission from the Archdiocese of Port of Spain has been obtained to use the land to construct the facility.
The cost of the facility is estimated at TT$10 million and a drive to raise the funds was also launched on the night of the alumni dinner. The AAPCC will assume full responsibility for the design, building maintenance and operation of the ISC. So far, concept drawings have been done.
A separate entity, under the umbrella of the Alumni Association, will be created for the ISC, which will enhance accountability and transparency.