Crisis in Vincentian sports
The point is clear. Arnos Vale is a sports facility. The Victoria Park is just that, a Park. It has multiple uses. Its raison detre has never really been established and the national sporting fraternity is none the wiser.
Perhaps that may be the reason why the Victoria Park was placed under the NLA after being taken away from the NSC instead of under the NSC.
Unfairness
There is no real sense of planning in the way we allow sports to develop in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
If we were to focus attention on the matter of playing fields in relation to sporting disciplines then we would understand.
Netball has a home established by the SVG Netball Association under the presidency of Gloria Ballantyne, before she got the MBE.
Squash has a home, paid for by the NLA.
Tennis has a home courtesy the Taiwanese.
Cricket does not have a designated home but has access to more playing fields with the support of the NSC than any other sporting discipline in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Arnos Vale # 1 and # 2 are considered the property of cricket even though other sporting disciplines are grudgingly allowed some usage.
The Cricket World Cup preparations has only crystallised the facts known to sport analysts in this country in terms of the Most Favoured Sport status enjoyed by cricket in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Sion Hill and Stubbs have been allocated new status for the Cricket World Cup warm up matches with little being said of their usage after this event has concluded and with the fields prepared essentially for cricket.
The Victoria Park has seen the preparation of a cricket wicket in the middle.
We are being told that the monies from the Stanford 20/20 agreement wit
h the Vincentian cricket authorities have been targeted at the Buccament Playing Field for cricket development.