Major works on playing field completed; football match planned for opening: Football set for return to historic Burnham Park as stadium nears opening

Football is poised to return to the historic Burnham Park in New Amsterdam, Berbice, with a match planned for the official opening of the redeveloped sporting facility, with major works on the playing field already completed, according to Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr.
The Minister said only final preparations, including cutting the grass and ensuring the surface is properly levelled, remain before the football field can be brought into use.

Questioned about the football component of the stadium project, particularly the provision of goalposts, Ramson disclosed that they had already been approved.
He described the goalposts as a relatively minor aspect of the project compared with the work already undertaken on the facility.
“But the football field – there’s nothing to be done in relation to work other than some field preparation, which is like cutting of the grass and making sure that it’s perfectly level,” Ramson explained.
“But in terms of the big project, it’s already completed. All the drainage pipes and underground drainage, all that’s been completed.”
The Minister also expressed confidence in the drainage system, maintaining that the playing field would remain free of flooding except under extreme conditions affecting the surrounding area.
“So, this is a field that will never flood, no matter what happens, no amount of rain that happens here, unless the entire zone is flooded and it’s flooded with 24 inches of water in height,” he declared.
“That’s the only time this field would ever flood. This means that you have a field here for football that can be used any time of the day.”
Burnham Park was once one of Berbice’s premier sporting venues, hosting football, athletics, cycling, motor racing and cultural events. The ground played an important role in football development, nurturing talented players who went on to represent Berbice and Guyana. However, years of neglect saw the facility deteriorate, diminishing its prominence as a major sporting venue.
The ongoing redevelopment represents an opportunity to restore Burnham Park’s sporting legacy. For New Amsterdam, the upgraded facility could revitalise competitive football, provide improved training and playing conditions for young athletes and local clubs, and create opportunities to host major sporting competitions, potentially restoring the town’s prominence on Guyana’s sporting landscape.
Additionally, Ramson has outlined plans for a combination of athletics and football during the stadium’s official opening.
He said the occasion would follow a format similar to that used at the Bayroc National Stadium, allowing athletes to demonstrate their abilities on the track before a football match is staged.
The Minister expressed, “Yeah, the event will be exactly as we did in Bayroc, where you’ll have a track and field event here to test out the track and to show everybody what some of our athletes will do.”
“And then you’ll have a football match being played as well. So, you expect this to be a pretty packed event, just as it was with Bayroc.”
While Ramson outlined plans for athletics and a football match during the stadium’s official opening, he did not announce a date for the event.
His comments nevertheless indicate that preparations for the return of football to Burnham Park have reached an advanced stage, with only final work on the playing surface identified as outstanding. (G-4)