JCA bowled over by 'bina upkeep bill

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

It has cost the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) some $48 million in maintenance expenses since it took over management responsibilities for the upgraded Sabina Park in 2007.

The facility, which underwent an extensive US$46 million refurbishing exercise ahead of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC), which was hosted across the region, has had a crippling effect on the financial flexibility of the Paul Campbell-led JCA, which is now considering limiting the amount of tournaments that it manages.

A new five-storey spectator stand at the northern end, 101 luxury skyboxes, a new drainage system, media facilities and massive aesthetic development, were among the improvements undertaken at the 80-year-old facility; all at a staggering cost to the JCA, who are forced to dish out in excess of $1.3 million a month, and $16 million on a yearly basis.

"You cannot underestimate the additional pressure that has been brought to the JCA by its ownership and management of the refurbished Sabina Park, and this is something that has to be resolved. We are not even talking about the debt structure, we are just talking about the maintenance of the plant," said recently appointed CEO, Robert Bryan, in reference to the expenses that included security fees, upkeep of the playing facilities, and cleaning costs, among other expenses.

"We have to cut our expenses," he added. "There are two ways to do it; cut your expenses and become more efficient or grow your revenues.

"The strategy we are pursuing is to look at both options and to see how best to do that. I believe we will have to do that on a phased basis, so some decision will have to be made on what we can do at what time," he continued.

Bryan, who played an integral role in Jamaica's leg of CWC 2007, warned that some tough decisions were on the horizon, decisions that may lead to the organisation limiting the number of competitions it runs.

"It's possible (to cut expenses), it won't be easy, but it can be done," Bryan pointed out.

"One of the decisions that we may have to take is the rationalising of the amount of competitions that the JCA runs. We have to look at club cricket, the base of that, and how that is organised, and how the financing structure of that is done," said Bryan.

"We are looking at an overall programme that is trajected over the next three years, and hopefully the board will sign off on those elements."

Bryan pointed out that the organisation would have to reposition the cricket product locally in an effort to increase the commercial viability of the sport and in the process drive the revenues as a means of compensating for the steep overhead costs.

"The focus of the association right now is to reposition its product and revamp its product so that it is in a position to more easily and clearly define its value in a way that we can align that with commercial sponsors that will feel comfortable, that by aligning their brand with cricket, they will get in return the necessary return on their investment," Bryan said.