da esport bet： Seventy-Two million dollars
Haydn Gill and Philip Spooner26-Sep-2001Seventy-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 andPhillips Consulting Group, a copy of which the DAILY NATION was ableto acquire ahead of a BCA Press conference tomorrow at which the planis to be presented.Most of the costs are centred around the development of physicalfacilities which include the creation of an international cricketfacility and a national cricket centre.Those costs are to be about $68.5 million, while human resourcedevelopment and institutional strengthening are estimated at $4.5million.The development plan has enormous resource implications . . . . Theplan will require a reliable revenue source since the BCA cannotsupport these programmes from its present resources, the documentsaid.It will therefore need substantial support from its sponsors who mustbe encouraged to buy into these programmes in a meaningful way, notleast of which is the Government, which is aware of the benefit ofcricket to the country as a sport and as a tourism attraction.The plan, which was presented to Government three weeks ago, has beenaccepted by the Owen Arthur Administration. Prime Minister Arthurdisclosed this at a dinner to honour former Barbados and West Indiesfast bowler Charlie Griffith on September 8.BCA president Stephen Alleyne, in a foreword to the plan, said thesuccess of the programme depended on the constructive support andpartnership of the Government, private sector, media and other cricketadministrators.The Government will be encouraged to tackle the sport at the level ofthe school curriculum and training programmes conducted by theNational Sports Council as well as to make financial and physicalresources available to the sport, he said.The private sector will be invited not only to make a financialcontribution to the development of the sport, but to recognise thatcricket has become as important investment opportunity.When broken down further, the costs over the four-year period cover:Modern international facility costs $63.7 millionNational cricket centre costs $4.4 millionBarbados national squad costs $1.8 millionExcellence through cricket development programme costs $974 000Club cricket costs $72 000Marketing and stakeholder relations costs $200 000Support expertise costs $181 000Schools’ cricket costs $100 000Coaching and mentorship costs $59 000The national centre, which will be located at Garfield Sobers SportsComplex, 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 capableof staging events of the highest international level.To this end, it plans to either outfit Kensington Oval to satisfyinternational standards or to develop a new ground by 2006.And according to the plan, initial estimates indicate such a facilitywill cost between $35 million and $60 depending on whether existingfacilities are upgraded or a new stadium is constructed.