Editorial
Newsday
WE APPROVE the call made this week by San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello to prioritize sporting events when it comes to the use of the newly redeveloped Skinner Park facility.
However, we also believe that it is important to strike a balance between the needs of the sports community and those of the cultural and tourism stakeholders who have a role to play in making these facilities sustainable.
There is no reason why the nation’s billion-dollar sports infrastructure, including the many facilities that are Skinner Park, cannot serve multiple functions and be economically maximized.
This is something necessary not only in connection with the annual carnival ritual, but also throughout the year.
“I think sport should be a priority for the park over cultural events,” Mr Regrello said this week as the redevelopment agency, the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott), prepares to hand over the facility.
The mayor was reinforced in his view by the need for better synergies between the surrounding communities and sports facilities.
“I saw Hasely Crawford running at Skinner Park when he was about 13-15 years old,” he noted, referring to this country’s first Olympic medalist. “I was still in primary school. Look where Hasely has come.”
Mr. Regrello has a point. Too often, there is a sense of disconnect between the people these facilities are supposed to serve and those who end up using them.
And Skinner Park’s long history suggests that it was meant to be more associated with community recreation than outdoor uses.
It was donated to the people of San Fernando in 1926 by GC Skinner, then manager of the Ste Madeleine Sugar Company.
At the time, it was likely envisioned as a much-needed center for idyllic recreational activities.
One could not imagine that one day it could be used for major cultural events and celebrations. The Calypso Fiesta, the semi-final of the Monarch, which attracts thousands of calypso lovers, was something that came later.
When sports facilities are used for cultural events, there is always the risk of injury and this is also a factor to consider.
But countries around the world have found a way to use large arenas without compromising their ability to serve their sporting communities.
For example, one of the most anticipated events in the annual US cultural calendar is the Super Bowl Halftime Show. This event is not only held in a sports arena, it takes place, as its name suggests, literally in the middle of a sporting event.
There must be a seamless integration of sporting, cultural and tourism needs when it comes to our stadiums.
The truth is that while sports should take priority, cultural events bring in the revenue needed to make these many expensive facilities economically viable.
