Dwight Yorke Stadium remains closed

Responding to the situation, THA Chief Secretary Orville London said that he along with Secretary and Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Sports Huey Cadette and Jomo Pitt are expected to meet with newly instated Minister of Sport, Brent Sancho on Friday.

“The stadium will be up for discussion. Among the issues would be the repairs to the stadium; as you’re aware we’re still in limbo with regards to that.

The THA have invested close to $12M to repair the mondo track; to date we have no final word from the Sport Company or even the Ministry of Sport with respect to the repairs. We also expect that in the discussions there would be more certainty to that particular process and while we’re on that, we would also be discussing the future management of the stadium,” he explained.

London noted that there are numerous frustrations as it relates to the facility and hence the THA now feels helpless. “We have no control over the stadium, the owners of the stadium is the government of Trinidad and Tobago and they are in fact in control of the stadium. They are the ones who make all the decision; we cannot go in unless we negotiate with them in order to get things done,” the Chief Secretary said.

He maintained that the major challenge is that to date, the Sport Company has not been able to give any definite word as to the status of the facility.

“Is it aesthetic or structural? If it is aesthetic, it would cost less and would be able to be completed in a shorter time; if it is in fact structural, then we have a serious problem,” he outlined.

The closure of the Dwight Yorke Stadium comes in the midst as Tobago tries to market itself as a sports tourism destination and would affect both the Tobago Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships as well as the British Airways Tobago Football Legends Challenge.

Hosting of the Tobago Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships is currently in limbo as Secretary of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport Huey Cadette has revealed that all efforts are being made to ensure that the games are held this year. Meanwhile, mention is yet to be made as to the status of the British Airways Tobago Football Legends Challenge.

The stadium is expected to be the venue of the June challenge, which is likely to see some of the world’s former football stars from Premiership clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United play against a team of Caribbean players. It is being heavily marketed by the THA’s Division of Tourism and Transportation as “one of the major sporting events” that will take place on the island in 2015.