Delma Thomas, Minister of Sports with the Chinese Embassy, toured the renovation site at the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada.
Minister for Sports Delma Thomas toured the National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 2 October 2024, at St. George’s, Grenada. The Sports Minister was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Sports and the Chinese Embassy. The reason for the tour was to examine the project’s scope and renovations.
The renovation work is anticipated to be completed by March 2025, and the fully renovated field will be handed over to the authority by the first quarter of 2025. Currently, the work at St. Patrick’s Fond Playing Field is in progress. In addition to this, the Sports Minister also added that other sports fields will be renovated in the near future.
The government plans to install long-awaited floodlights in the National Cricket Stadium. This will allow the cricket association to host cricket matches during the day and night. This initiative will attract cricket enthusiasts to the stadium as well as other international matches. While planning to attract more cricket fans, the government will increase the stadium capacity. The seating arrangements will be transformed to accommodate more number of fans. Renovation of restrooms, instalment of food stalls, and other accessibilities are part of the plan.
Grenada National Cricket team is not yet a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but the association is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. While appreciating the efforts of the organizations towards sports, the Minister said that she would visit other sports facilities. She also highlighted that the development of sports facilities and youths across the country is on the list of the government’s agenda.
“I’m happy to be here, appreciating the importance of the cricket stadium for us as a government and for the people of Grenada, and I look forward to visiting the other facilities as we work to uplift sports across Grenada,” said the Sports Minister.
The government is committed to provide world-class facilities to the citizens. Renovation works in sports sectors not only impress fans but also encourage more youth athletes to be a part of national sports competitions. In addition to this, the local economy will be improved. The improved sports facilities in the country can attract international players and games to Grenada while increasing sports tourism in the country.
The Government of Grenada has announced the plans for renovation of the National Cricket Stadium in December 2023. Along with the cricket stadium, the government also added Kirani James Athletics Stadium to the list of transformations. The plan was discussed in the budget presentation for the year 2024.
