Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY WHEN THE West Indies first made their bid to host the 2007 World Cup they probably did not envisage the problem deciding the venues for the matches and especially so, the venues for the big matches - the semi-finals and the final.
The problem, the nationalism, is such, that unlike England, Australia, India and South Africa who sat down and made the choices based on the rating of their grounds, the West Indies, in an attempt to be transparent but which, regardless of the denial, is really nothing but an effort to minimise the expected outbursts when the venues are selected, have gone for a bidding process.
If that is bad, what is even worse is what is happening Jamaica.
Unlike Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Antigua and even the United States of America who have already decided on their venue, Jamaica is still to do so even though the Steering Committee set up by the Government to advise it on what to do has suggested, not once, but twice and overwhelming so, that it should be Sabina Park.
The reason for that is a suggestion that a new stadium be built in Trelawny, and as those pushing for it have pointed out, there are good reasons for the proposed multi-purpose stadium.
SHOWCASE NORTH COAST
According to them, a stadium in Trelawny will provide, among other things, opportunities to reallocate resources currently under-utilised within the western region, to extend the tourists season for an additional six months during the World Cup, to showcase the new north coast tourism product inclusive of major tours and other attractions.
They say it will also create a new niche market in tourism for international sports by designing the new facilities to enable other sporting activities such as soccer, American football and other field sports, it will transform Trela-wny, and that would be good no question about that.
Apart from the difference in cost in improving Sabina Park to meet the requirements and building a new stadium, however, and even forgetting the tradition of Sabina Park, the World Cup is a cricket event, the legacy from the World Cup should be for cricket, and the question is where does cricket fit in all of that.
Apparently, there is no place for cricket after the World Cup.
PUSHING FOR TRELAWNY
According to some of those pushing for Trelawny, One Day Internationals should be played there and Test matches at Sabina Park. According to others, both One Day Internationals should be played there, and just recently there are those supporting the group who are saying that after the World Cup it should be used for those things that will enhance the tourism product.
If the new stadium will be built to host the World Cup and will not be used for cricket after that but for the tourism product, then remembering that it is the Government's money, the people's money, that will be used to build it and that the country is suffering economically, then so be it.
If, however, the plan is to build a cricket stadium, if the idea is to use it for international cricket and more so for Test cricket after the World Cup, then it should not be built and it should not be built for some simple reasons.
Looking at what is happening at the Stadium Complex, one reason is that the Government would be building another "white elephant".
CORPORATE AREA
With the bulk of the island's population in the Corporate Area and Portmore, another reason is that it must be better to have the facility where or close to where the people are than to move the people to the stadium. And with the cost of hotel rooms on the north coast, still another reason is that the majority of those who go to cricket, who attend Test matches, could not afford it.
The Government has set up another committee a committee that does not include any one from cricket to make another recommendation as to where Jamaica's venue should be, and some time soon, it will be making a decision.
