National Stadium to become multipurpose sport facility

In 2020, President Dr Irfaan Ali had announced the construction of three multipurpose sport facilities in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice). Now, it appears Region Four will also benefit from a similar project, with additions to an already existing venue.

The National Stadium, Providence will soon benefit from some major upgrades, transforming the predominantly cricket venue into a multi-purpose sport facility.
This is according to Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr, who made the revelation last week.
The area that encompasses the Stadium will soon cater for four sport disciplines outside of cricket and based on the Minister’s word, renovations should be completed by year end.
“Right now, the National Stadium is being converted to a multipurpose Sport facility. There’s a football field being built right now, or reconstructed I should say, as you enter the National Stadium. There will be a volleyball court as well, a basketball court there, along with a tennis court,” Ramson Jr said on Friday last.
“All of that will be complete before the end of the year,” he asserted.
Looking at football specifically, Ramson Jr disclosed that work on the area dedicated to the sport has already commenced and with the addition of lights, the venue will be able to serve athletes day and night.
“The football facility will also have lights, so that it will be available. We’ve already made the National Stadium open to the public until about 6:30 or 7 in the evening; the football space will become available until about 8 or 9 in the night. And it will have lights so that you can have training day and night, every single day,” the Minister vowed.
On a different note, Ramson Jr also touched on the topic of a cricket academy, which is also in the pipeline as part of the Stadium upgrade. While works are currently in the planning phase, the Sport Minister shared that next year’s sport budget is expected to cover the costs.
Ramson Jr shared, “…The designs are already in place; I’ve already started to discuss with CWI [Cricket West Indies] reps, the GCB [Guyana Cricket Board] reps, the ICC [International Cricket Council] rep that was here during the assessment for our World Cup bid that we submitted for the early part of next year – January.”
“The cricket academy will be built.”
Aside from the National Stadium, the Government of Guyana is currently upgrading 25 grounds across the country for community use.