MBUFC got a good deal - Mayor

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:Montego Bay's Mayor Charles Sinclair has taken objection to the view being expressed that the St James Parish Council is charging too much for the rental of the new Montego Bay Stadium, which is the home venue of National Premier League (NPL) outfit Montego Bay United Football Club (MBUFC).

"We had a meeting with the executive of MBUFC and while we did not give them all they asked for, we believe that outside of giving them the stadium for free, we did the best we could," said Sinclair. "As a show of goodwill, we even waived some of the fees we could have charged."

In a recent interview with The Gleaner, businessman Orville Powell, president of MBUFC, said the rental for the stadium, which will host 19 home games for his club, was too high.

"We have to be paying $300,000 per game for rental, and when you multiply that by 19 home games, that is a massive sum," said Powell. "I am hoping that we will be able to negotiate a reduction with the parish council."

However, according to the mayor, MBUFC was getting the best deal possible, which he said was below the $300,000 quoted in the media. He explained that the full cost for rental is $600,000 for the entire stadium, or $400,000 if only the grandstand is being used, as is the situation with MBUFC.

"They (MBUFC) asked us for a discount and after taking into consideration the fact that they will be using the facility on a regular basis, we gave them what we consider a reasonable discount," Sinclair said. "Contrary to what was told to The Gleaner, they are paying less than $300,000 per game for rental."

High operational costs

Sinclair said when the full operational costs of the facility, which include upkeep of the playing surface, water bill, light bill (not including the floodlights), and payment for the stadium staff is taken into account, the sum that MBUFC is charged does not allow the parish council to make even a marginal profit.

"We are not making any profit as a result of the substantial discount we have given to MBUFC," the mayor said. "A lot of persons might not know, but we have a full-time staff at the stadium as its proper upkeep is very important."

The mayor further stated that unlike the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, which Village United currently uses free of cost on account of a special concession given to them by the Ministry of Sports, the Montego Bay Stadium does not enjoy governmental support.

"Unlike the Trelawny Stadium, the Montego Bay Stadium does not benefit from central Government's support," said Sinclair. "The Montego Bay Stadium has to earn its keep, and we have to charge the type of fee that will help to keep it in a suitable state."

The mayor believes that rather than complaining about the cost of rental, MBUFC would be better served developing a product that would be attractive to the public and would, hopefully, stimulate increased spectator support.