WESTERN SPORTS - Upgrade Elleston Wakeland Centre, says Williams

Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Former Village United head coach, Cassman Williams, says the Elleston Wakeland Community Centre, situated in the heart of Falmouth, Trelawny, is ideally located for the development of a multipurpose stadium but is bemoaning the facility's current state of disrepair.

There is one multipurpose stadium already in existence in that parish, the Telawny Multi-purpose Stadium, which was constructed to host the opening ceremony of the ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup hosted by the West Indies.

Williams told The Gleaner that the facility has not been serving the purpose for which it was built and noted that it would serve the people of the parish and stakeholders alike if Elleston Wakeland Centre, which serves as the main sporting facility in Falmouth, is developed.

"I believe we would benefit more if the community centre is redeveloped as a multipurpose stadium," he said.

Ideal location

"Its location makes it ideal, as it is right in the middle of the town, where locals and tourists could have direct access to, and there already exists the basic infrastructural layout that only needs upgrading," added Williams.

Williams' frustration stems from the lack of action from the Trelawny Parish Council, which manages the facility. He is disappointed in the leadership of the town's mayor, Garth Wilkinson, who had promised much by way of development at the centre. Adding to this disappointment, Williams stated that there appears to be no long-term plan for investment in the facility.

No plan of action

Last year, Mayor Wilkinson spoke of plans to upgrade the clubhouse located at the western end of the facility to accommodate table tennis, which at one time was the leading sport in the parish, producing several of Jamaica's top players.

But nothing has happened since that declaration by the mayor and Williams, who also holds the head coaching job with Division One club Baca Star, is adamant the time has come for serious dialogue around the development of the facility.

The last time it fell into disrepair it costs approximately $300,000 to bush and prepare the entire facility. The money was put up by member of parliament for Trelawny North, Patrick Atkinson. It would cost approximately $50,000 to maintain the field.

"The expanse of the Elleston Wakeland Centre makes it ready-made for two full-size football fields, and it could easily be retrofitted with a running track. It already has basketball and netball courts to make it the ideal all-purpose stadium," reasoned Williams.