LeVaugh Flynn , Staff Reporter
Texas billionaire Allen Stanford (third left) hands over a cheque of US$1000,000.00 (JA$6,498,000.00) to the president of the Jamaica Cricket Association Jackie Hendriks. Also in the picture are (from left), general manager Sports Development Foundation (SDF) Ludlow Watt, Courtney Walsh, Ian Bishop, Lance Gibbs, JCA's Cricket Operation Officer Brian Breese and Jamaica's coaching director for cricket, Jeffrey Dujon. The presentation took place at the Norman Manley International Airport. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
ALLEN STANFORD is a Texan businessman who has been captivated by the relationship between Caribbean people and cricket.
According to the man himself, Stanford fell in love with the Caribbean 23 years ago and subsequently set up business in Antigua. He now has more than 70 companies across North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America.
Getting to these locations is no hassle as he has a private jet at his disposal.
His parent company, Stanford Financial Group, is based in Texas and is a wealth management and financial services organisation.
BIG INVESTMENT
The billionaire businessman announced last October that he would be investing US$28 million in West Indies cricket through a Twenty/20 tournament.
But why is a white non-West Indian investing all this money into the game?
In a brochure provided to the media while he was in Kingston on Thursday, January 19, Stanford said from he first experienced the effect of cricket on West Indians, he knew it was something special and something worth preserving.
"The energy, the pride, the passion that cricket has inspired in the people of the Caribbean is not only moving but also infectious," he states.
A TANGIBLE FORCE
"West Indies cricket is an almost tangible force that can unify an entire country, an entire group of people, no matter the differences that might exist off the field, in the Houses of Parliaments or among the nations."
Since the announcement of the Stanford Twenty/20 tournament, which is scheduled to start in July, it has come under heavy criticism. The critics say Stanford's money can be used more effectively to truly develop the sport in the region. Of course, Stanford has his own view.
"We need something right now to revive the game, something immediate, and Twenty/20 is the answer," he said at a press conference last week at the Norman Manley International Airport.
"West Indies cricket is at a crossroads with a great opportunity to go forward. A new approach must be taken for the sport to grow and prosper in the years ahead," Stanford also says in his brochure.
This is not the first initiative Stanford has taken in helping West Indies cricket. He is also the man behind the Sticky Wicket Hall of Fame, which last year inducted five past players. He says the Twenty/20 tournament is another step in helping yhe region's most popular sport.
Stanford says his idea is to "create a Super League where West Indian cricketers can do what they do best and be rewarded for their excellence".
He concludes: "My vision for the Stanford Twenty/20 Tournament is that it will be the catalyst for a resurgence of love for the game, that it will signal the return of the glory days."
