$23 Million in renovations for Arnos Vale playing field

The Arnos Vale Playing Field will go through a reconfiguration as this country puts plans in motion to host warm up matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after failing last July to secure matches in the group stages, got the consolation last month, that it was among four new venues selected for the pre- tournament matches. {{more}}

The cost of the renovations to this country’s premier sporting arena, has been estimated at EC$23 Million.

Chief Executive Officer of the local World Cup Organising Committee, Michael Findlay, anticipated the look of the playing field to be a “very modern arena”.

Findlay disclosed that an extensive upgrade of the facilities would be done.

Among them are the construction of a double-decker stand at the south-eastern end and a new players’ pavilion to be located at the north eastern end.

The existing northern press area will become an office center. This will house the secretariat of the local cricket association and the Windward Island Cricket Board.

The current Players’ Pavilion will be re-designed to facilitate VIP boxes and dressing rooms for the adjoining netball complex.

The southern press box gets an upgrade and will form the media center, with the concrete bleachers replacing the temporary ones at the south-western section of the ground.

The Michael Findlay,P H Veira and Frank Thomas Pavilions are in for minor repairs.

Other structural changes expected,include the expansion,re-grading and re-grassing of the playing area,the re-routing of the eastern river,improvements to Arnos Vale II ,and the re-modelling of the Wilf Slack Nets.

Findlay said that enhancement of Arnos Vale was not only for the World Cup, but for future tours by visiting teams.

The former St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Windwards, Combined Islands and West Indies wicket-keeper revealed that this country was in danger of not getting international matches ahead of other regional territories which have advanced their cricket stadia.

St.Vincent and the Grenadines like other selected venues will know on July 19, this year, of the scheduling of the matches.

Projections are that over 100,000 visitors will attend the 51 matches to be played in 2007.

Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has underlined the hosting of World Cup in the Caribbean,as the largest mass movement of people since conquest and slavery.

Regional governments have invested over US$250 million in the project.

Eight venues were selected last July to host tournament matches. Kensington Oval (Barbados),Sabina Park (Jamaica),Sir Viv Richards Stadium (Antigua/Barbuda),Queen’s Park Oval (Trinidad and Tobago),Queen’s Park (Grenada),Warner Park (St.Kitts),Beausejour(St.Lucia),and a new ground to be built in Guyana.

The 2007 forms double history, as it will be the first for the Caribbean and the last in current format of allocating host countries.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided that in the 2011 tournament ,countries seeking to host, will have to go through a bidding process.