Above: GC Foster College
By the Caribbean Journal staff
As part of an effort to derive more income from sports in Jamaica, the country has now broken ground on its first international, standardized baseball field at the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports.
Sports “will be the glue that binds us together as a people,” said Minister with responsibility for sports Natalie Neita-Headley.
Construction will begin on the field on Jan. 30, and it is expected to be completed by Feb. 3, by engineer Damon VanBrocklin, who has opted to waive his $12,000 fee.
“Not only are we undertaking to invest in the development of another new sport, but we are also expanding the possibilities that sport can offer to our country as an income earner,” she said, expecting that Jamaica would be another sport in which Jamaicans excel in a few years.
“We have produced many world stars in athletics, cricket, boxing and football,” she said. “It is, therefore, not beyond us to produce baseball icons, like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Cy Young and most recently, Andre Dawson.”
Terry Montague, head of projects for the Sports Development Foundation, expected major league success for Jamaica in baseball.
“I give Jamaicans five to 10 years, based on our natural ability and our tendency towards sports, to land ourselves at least one individual in some major league across the world,” he said.
Jamaica is following in the footsteps of the Bahamas, which has a thriving baseball programme, with several major prospects in the pipeline and another, Antoan Richardson, playing the outfield for the Atlanta Braves.