WBA vice-president says lack of decent venue stifling sport's development

Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:Western Basketball Association (WBA) vice-president for leagues and operations, Dion Williams, is calling for the construction of an indoor basketball arena to enable the sport to continue its steady progress and maintain its viability as an option to competing sporting disciplines such as football.

Williams, who serves as western region coordinator for the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) and Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA), has expressed his dissatisfaction about a proposed fully roofed arena, which was first discussed nearly two years ago but has since seen no follow-up.

"There was a meeting held in 2011 that included relevant stakeholders, such as the St James Parish Council among others, and we were told that a parcel of land adjacent Jarrett Park was to be the ideal location.

"Further to that, a design was to follow, but since then we have heard nothing else about the proposal," said Williams, who noted that the association could not undertake construction of such magnitude on its own and would have to seek help from Government and the business community.

basketball improving

Basketball in the west has been steadily improving with the ISSA-run school leagues and the Hi-Lyte-sponsored Insports men's championships highlighting the need for better surfaces and seating arrangement to pull in bigger crowds.

"If Kingston can boast of the National Indoor Sports Centre and the National Arena, where high-profile games can be held, why is it the Second City and, by extension, the west cannot have a fully covered arena for not just basketball, but also for netball, volleyball and other hard-court games?"

Williams said that the potential for sports tourism is huge, especially in the tourism mecca, Montego Bay, but the will to undertake such projects is not strong enough. He added that apart from the sparingly used Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium and the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall, the sporting infrastructure in the region lacks diversity. Currently, the Montego Bay Cricket Club is the unofficial home of basketball in the west.

"Basketball needs a home for itself, fully covered so that we can host early games without worrying about sun and rain, which is a constant turn-off for spectators who are left at the mercy of the elements," noted Williams.

"Not only would local spectators come out to see a good game, but tourists who come to the city could drop in and see a game also in reasonable comfort and this would be a boost to the economy and the growth of the sport, which has produced a Samardo Samuels and many others," he added, pointing to the National Basketball Association player who is currently in the Development League after being recently released by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Williams pointed out that enough space is available around the Montego Bay stadium to construct such an arena, much like Independence Park in Kingston, and warned that failure to fully grab the initiative could result in the subsiding of interest in basketball in the region.

"The business community in St James and across the western region must play a vital role in getting this project off the ground. The bandwagonist mentality must end if we are to realise our true potential as a sporting power and a sports tourism mecca of the region," said Williams.

"If Kingston can boast of the National Indoor Sports Centre and the National Arena, where high-profile games can be held, why is it the Second City and, by extension, the west cannot have a fully covered arena for not just basketball, but also for netball, volleyball and other hard-court games?"