Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday confirmed that two grounds will be upgraded in the mining town of Linden, noting that they will be to FIFA and ICC standards for football and cricket, respectively.
Works are ongoing to upgrade the facility at Mackenzie, Linden but the political Opposition had said a recent comment from President, Dr. Irfaan Ali that the facility will be to ICC standard has puzzled residents who were previously promised that the facility will remain a multipurpose one.
Jagdeo confirmed on Thursday that the facility, while refitted to ICC standard, will remain a multipurpose facility.
And in direct response to Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton’s reasoning that Linden residents prefer football facilities, Jagdeo said the facility at Bayrock, Linden where a synthetic track is currently being installed, fit for track and field events, will also feature a FIFA standard football field.
At the Mackenzie Sports Club ground, the upgrades will make it comparable with the current stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara for cricket to be played at ICC standard.
Notwithstanding, the facility will remain multipurpose although not fit for FIFA standard football.
“Linden will have both a FIFA and ICC standard ground to play both cricket and football,” Jagdeo said.
But that’s not all, at Retrieve, Linden, Jagdeo said a ground that has not been advanced in the last 40 years would be upgraded to allow for three nearby schools to have access to sporting activities.
“These are the facts,” Jagdeo said while pointing to the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic’s manifesto promise to build multipurpose facilities in each region.
“For the first time, we are developing three grounds in the town of Linden that will allow us to play international cricket and football,” Jagdeo said.
Underground pipes and a flood drainage catchment basin were last month being installed at the Mackenzie facility, while the synthetic track is currently being laid at the $179 million Bayrock facility. Some $250 million is earmarked for ground enhancement across the country in the 2023 budget.
Currently, there is only one synthetic track in Guyana, located at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, supported only by the National Stadium at Providence.
Recently, the government also launched the construction of a 10,000-seat stadium and multipurpose building at Palmyra, Region Six.
