Seventy-Two million dollars!
That's the projected cost of the Barbados Cricket Association's (BCA)
expansive four-year Development Plan geared towards making Barbados'
cricket strong again.
The plan is contained in a 58-page document prepared by the Earle and
Phillips Consulting Group, a copy of which the DAILY NATION was able
to acquire ahead of a BCA Press conference tomorrow at which the plan
is to be presented.
Most of the costs are centred around the development of physical
facilities which include the creation of an international cricket
facility and a national cricket centre.
Those costs are to be about $68.5 million, while human resource
development and institutional strengthening are estimated at $4.5
million.
The development plan has enormous resource implications . . . . The
plan will require a reliable revenue source since the BCA cannot
support these programmes from its present resources, the document
said.
It will therefore need substantial support from its sponsors who must
be encouraged to buy into these programmes in a meaningful way, not
least of which is the Government, which is aware of the benefit of
cricket to the country as a sport and as a tourism attraction.
The plan, which was presented to Government three weeks ago, has been
accepted by the Owen Arthur Administration. Prime Minister Arthur
disclosed this at a dinner to honour former Barbados and West Indies
fast bowler Charlie Griffith on September 8.
BCA president Stephen Alleyne, in a foreword to the plan, said the
success of the programme depended on the constructive support and
partnership of the Government, private sector, media and other cricket
administrators.
The Government will be encouraged to tackle the sport at the level of
the school curriculum and training programmes conducted by the
National Sports Council as well as to make financial and physical
resources available to the sport, he said.
The private sector will be invited not only to make a financial
contribution to the development of the sport, but to recognise that
cricket has become as important investment opportunity.
When broken down further, the costs over the four-year period cover:
Modern international facility costs $63.7 million
National cricket centre costs $4.4 million
Barbados national squad costs $1.8 million
Excellence through cricket development programme costs $974 000
Club cricket costs $72 000
Marketing and stakeholder relations costs $200 000
Support expertise costs $181 000
Schools' cricket costs $100 000
Coaching and mentorship costs $59 000
The national centre, which will be located at Garfield Sobers Sports
Complex, will include a cricket ground, pavilion, indoor nets, office,
cricket library and museum.
The BCA is also seeking to create a modern world-class venue capable
of staging events of the highest international level.
To this end, it plans to either outfit Kensington Oval to satisfy
international standards or to develop a new ground by 2006.
And according to the plan, initial estimates indicate such a facility
will cost between $35 million and $60 depending on whether existing
facilities are upgraded or a new stadium is constructed.