Same game different players – GoG continues to show disinterest in sports

Jan 04, 2019 Sports

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Says Sean Devers

As I start another year my continued disappointment with this Government’s disinterest in sports after 23 years of the same attitude by the PPP/C Administration, prompted this opinion piece.
Guyana endured 23 years of sports being ignored, grounds overgrown with bushes, buildings constructed on playing fields, lack of interest in putting qualified Coaches in Schools, insufficient funding to send National teams overseas and the general unimportance that sports was viewed by the PPP/Civic Administration.
Many young people who voted for the Collation Government were hopeful that the things that occurred during the past two decades would change for the betterment of Sports. But after three years in power, and with a No-Confidence Motion hanging over its head, this Government has done nothing much for sports and little have changed. Many of those who voted for change,

including me, remain disappointed.
The collective cry by those in the sports fraternity is ‘Same game, different players’ and if this Government continues to ignore Sports and Young Guyanese they could be hard pressed to survive an early election.
The Road to the Buxton Community ground is in very poor condition while the MSC ground in Linden (where Regional U-19 Cricket was played in the 80s) is not in a condition to host proper cricket matches, these two areas give the Coalition Government plenty of votes.
Only recently the GCA suggested calling for Government’s assistance for Cricket clubs in the City while many Sports Administrators feels the Government is not doing enough for Sports.
When I played for Guyana at the Under-19 level in the 80s, we had good facilities and the structure for cricket development at the grassroots level was strong. The National Sports Development Council (NSDC) on Brickdam ran a national Under-16 cricket competition and Inter-House cricket was an important aspect of school life.
I got my first job in the Admin Department at GNTC not only because of my qualifications but more, I believe, because I played cricket which was a part of the Guystac Games. During the first 25 years of Independence, Sports was a ‘big thing’ with the staging of the annual Guystac and Guymine games while national athletes were never denied time off from their jobs to train or represent their country.
National and former national cricketers were sent to Coach in schools by the NSDC. The Forbes Burnham led Government was the last to place any level of emphasis on Sports and under the PPP government these things were gradually phased out and sports grounds converted into Housing projects.

The North Georgetown Primary school now sits on what was once the Richard Ishmael Secondary School ground where other students and I built a cricket pitch while the Tutorial High School sits on what was the best cricket ground in Woolford Avenue.
Under the past Government, State owned grounds in the city were allowed to become virtual jungles, while garbage was dumped on a ground on Mandela Avenue which hosted third division games.
The State owned GuySuco grounds were well maintained venues in Skeldon, Rose Hall Canje, Blairmont, LBI, Versailles and Uitvlugt but under the previous Government they were allowed to fall into disrepair and it seems the present Administration is not interested in seeing them rehabilitated.
The Carifesta Sports Complex (formerly GNS), Ministry of Education and National Insurance Scheme grounds, all on Carifesta Avenue; Transport Sports Club (TSC) ground and PSU venue (Thomas Lands) and GNIC ground (Woolford Avenue) are all run by State owned entities.
Most of the community grounds, including the Skeldon, Rosehall Canjie, Blairmount, LBI and Uitvlugt are all controlled by GuySuco all hosted First-Class cricket in the past along with the Suddie and Anna Regina Community Centre grounds in Essequibo and are in a state of disrepair.
The Bermine ground in Stanleytown New Amsterdam once produced several national and Berbice inter-county cricketers but is no longer used for anything. The TSC ground is in such terrible condition that cricket has not been played there for the last 13 years, although TSC has a Division one team.
The concrete practice facility at the GNIC ground, equipped with washroom and shower facilities is covered by bush and in an unusable condition. A change in Government was welcomed by most in the sporting fraternity since the past Government did nothing to arrest the decline of the State owned grounds.
The LBI ground where the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Hostel and Indoor Practice Facility is located is totally unplayable. The GCB was willing to lease that ground and upgrade it but efforts were stalled by the PPP/C Government and while some progress has been since then but this could be stalled by No-Confidence Motion.
Bourda is a historic place which hosted the first Test win by the West Indies in 1930 and is the oldest cricket Club in the West Indies. The stands at the famous ground, which should be designated a heritage site, are falling apart and it is a shame that the venue is being allowed to deteriorate.
Just over three years into their five-year term, the APNU/AFC Coalition Government seems just as disinterested in Sports development as the past Administration with no apparent tangible plan to arrest the decline in all facets of sports.
Three ODIs in the Tri-series were played at Providence and for the first time ever, International cricket in Guyana was not broadcast on local Radio by the state owned Station (NCN). Government spent hundreds of millions on the Jubilee celebrations with tax payers’ money but could not spend a small fraction of that to ensure that Guyanese have the opportunity to hear matches in the Tri-Nation series.
For Sports to improve locally we need more International standard facilities and more funding to pay coaches and provide our national teams with the exposure and experience of participating in more overseas events.
After just over 100 days in power, I sent a list of questions to then Minister Nicolette Henry in 2015 which included: What has happened to the Cricket Administration Bill? Are there plans to upgrade grounds and build a ‘Bank Track’ for cycling? What is the latest update on the Sports Policy? Will the Government give the Guyana Hockey Federation land to build a hockey field? What about rehabilitating Durban Park into a multi-sport facility and Would Stands at the Providence Stadium ever been named after those who made an outstanding contribution to Guyana’s cricket?
The questions, which still remain relevant today, were ignored by Minister Henry who shot down the concept of naming the Stands at Providence saying she did not want to spend the next five years defending the names.
Very few would have a problem with names such as Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Roy Fredericks, Basil Butcher, Lance Gibbs, Colin Croft, Shiv Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan being on the stands while the Media Centre should be named the Reds Perriera Media Centre.
The 79-year-old Perriera, a former advisor to Sports Minister Shirley Field-Ridley in the Forbes Burnham PNC Government, feels Government is not doing enough for Sports. Director of Sports Christopher Jones promised to revisit the idea which could have been done during Jubilee month. Every other International cricket ground in the Caribbean has names on their stands unlike Guyana where the stands are named Green, Red and Orange.
A Sports Museum was promised by DS Jones but it is said promises are made to be broken while Reds Perriera’s suggestions for Sports Tourism was sent to Director General, Department of Tourism, Donald Sinclair was never implemented.
New Sports Minister Dr George Norton and this Government seems unaware of the importance sport plays in reducing crime, forging social Cohesion, developing skills of young people and building unity in Communities among many other positives.
The Guyanese mentality is one which dares not challenge authority which is inherited from the days of slavery, indentured servants and the various post-Independence Governments. Many ‘sit on the fence’ and refrain from publicly condemning that which is wrong without understanding that bad things continue when good people say nothing.

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