THE sounds of cheers and merriment have long drowned out the ramblings of naysayers, who, five years ago, bombarded the local press with their predictions of the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara, becoming a “white elephant”.

President Donald Ramotar meeting players during the Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament at the Guyana National Stadium

When Guyana hosted the 2007 Cricket World Cup (CWC), one of the matches had close to 12,250 people; however, since then, that number would have been exceeded many fold, so much so, that there is talk now of a bigger stadium.
Built specifically to host the Super Eight matches in the 2007 CWC, in March-April 2007, this premier facility has emerged as one of the most sought-after venues for all major sporting and entertainment events in Guyana.
As a matter of fact, in more recent times, the Stadium is crowded at least once every month.

CWC 2007
In 2004, Guyana won the bid to host CWC 2007 after being awarded the green package that allows a country to host six of the matches of the Super Eight games. Twelve countries had competed for host venue status; but Guyana, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago were selected.
Subsequently, a contract was awarded to the Indian firm, Shapoorji Paloonji and Company, for the construction of the Stadium.

A section of the Guyana National Stadium at Providence during the launch of CARIFESTA X

The land on which this magnificent structure now stands was once canfields. This facility and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua are the only two to be erected from the ground.
The structure is the only architectural design of its kind among the other CWC host venues in the Caribbean; boasting a  seating capacity of 15,000, parking space for about 4,000 vehicles, a high security zone, conference hall, club, administrative office, VIP and media centres and players’ pavilion.
The facility was named the Guyana National Stadium as former President Jagdeo, who was the pioneer behind this project, made a call for it to be given a name reflective of the national spirit, after it was commonly being referred to as the Providence Stadium, because of its location. He also proposed that it be transformed into a facility that would accommodate various sports disciplines.

Cricket World Cup 2007 at the Guyana National Stadium

Becoming the home of a state-of-the-art stadium, and successfully hosting six World Cup matches between March 28, 2007, and April 9, 2007, most notably the match between Sri Lanka and South Africa, Guyana became a prominent name within the international cricketing fraternity, hosting several high profile matches, including the opening ceremony for the International Cricket Council World Cup 20/20 tournament in April, 2010.

CARIFESTA X
In 2008, the decision to build a world-class stadium was again vindicated as Guyana hosted the Caribbean Festival of Arts X (CARIFESTA X), during which a single concert attracted a multitude that undoubtedly surpassed the numbers during the World Cup Cricket.
Guyana was able to deliver on the promise made by former President Jagdeo to host this major festival in one year, as opposed to the two years it takes to prepare for such an important event; and the readiness of the Stadium played a major role in this achievement.

Local events & continued investments

International R&B artiste, Neyo, performing at the Guyana National Stadium

Locally, the Stadium has created quite a stir in Guyana, giving rise to countless sporting and entertainment events. In recent times, promoters have ventured to bring many renowned international personalities from the United States and the Caribbean to perform at mega concerts, including Neyo, Trey Songz, Ashanti, Beres Hammond, Donnie Mc Clurkin, Keri Hilson, Jah Cure, and Eve, just to name a few.
For last year alone, the events hosted at the Stadium included cricket matches between Guyana and Barbados, Guyana and England, and West Indies and Pakistan, several concerts and football matches, Indian Arrival and Phagwah celebrations, and the Clash of the Titans Band Festival.
Additionally, signature national events such as the Building and Construction Expo and Feminition were all held at the Stadium, attracting thousands of patrons.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, under whose purview the Stadium falls, has been working to ensure that this landmark facility is properly maintained. In this regard, $103M has been spent to pave the tarmac.
Another significant investment is the state-of-the-art international stage, which is over 100 feet in width, and can go up to about 50 feet in height, and outfitted with a number of technical features. Prior to this investment, whenever there was a major concert, a stage had to be imported. Six lighting towers have also been installed to facilitate night events.

International reggae recording artiste, Shaggy, performing for cricket fans at the Guyana National Stadium

Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony  said, “Last year alone, we had over 30 major concerts at the Stadium…this has shown that in terms of entertainment, the Stadium would have also contributed significantly to the development of the entertainment sector in Guyana.”
Minister Anthony said that not only has the Stadium become a vibrant, cultural and sporting arena, it also contributed immensely to sports development in Guyana.
When the Stadium was built, it was projected to last 100 years. It is an international facility that is rated by the ICC in terms of types of matches that can be played, and most notably it has one of the fastest draining grounds, whereby six inches of water on the surface of the playing field can be drained within an hour. There are several pipes below the ground that take in water and channel it to the periphery.
“We are very proud of the infrastructure that we have and it allows now for a number of field sports to be played at the Stadium…we have had football being played there; we started out with the Kashif and Shanghai tournament, and now we have other football matches that are a regular feature at the Stadium,” Minister Anthony explained.
Additionally, international rugby, which is a first for Guyana, has been played at this dynamic facility, as well as a boxing match.

State of readiness
General Manager of the Guyana National Stadium, Anthony Xavier, has been there since CWC first came to Guyana. As Minister of Works and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports before that, he played a great part and knew what was to be expected when he became the General Manager.
Xavier expressed pride in what the stadium has achieved five years onwards, noting that it was worth every bit of the effort put into it.
Observing that a day at the stadium could be quite quiet if there are no events or plans underway for one, Xavier said the facility is always in a state of readiness to host any event. The maintenance work of nine hard working and committed staff members ensures that this readiness.

Genesis
Guyana’s stadium has its genesis in August, 2003, when former President Bharrat Jagdeo, on a visit to India, held discussions with officials of the Indian Government for support in erecting a stadium.
He managed to secure a US$6M grant and a US$19M soft loan from the Indian Government.
The following year, the agreement was signed by former Minister of Finance, Sasenarine Kowlessar, and Representative of the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of India, Tarun Sharma.
Shortly after the signing of the agreement, technical experts from India visited Guyana and engaged government in discussions on the construction requirements.

Future plans
The Stadium sits on 60 acres of land and the ministry is working to ensure that every square inch of that space is used to develop sports in Guyana. As such, plans are on stream to establish a cricket academy.
Minister Anthony explained that the spaces for a classroom and a gym have already been identified. This will see all the top players in the country being trained on a daily basis by professional staff. They will also be given lessons in coaching, which they will in turn extend to the schools.
The development will also see the establishment of a hostel at the Stadium to house these players, particularly those who will come from outside of Georgetown.
There has also been a constant call by hockey players for the construction of an artificial turf and thus far, a section of the stadium has been identified where such a turf can be laid. The ministry is also looking at setting up some lawn tennis courts on the periphery of the Stadium.
“We are also thinking about acquiring some moveable basketball backboards and so the entire tarmac surface in front can be converted to basketball courts,” the Sports Minister said.

Wise investment vs. white elephant
Minister Anthony said, “The investment itself of converting the canfields into a world-class stadium has really given us tremendous benefits…and the naysayers, we have been able to prove them wrong, and we have the capacity to do even more.”
He added that when cynics often question Guyana’s capacity to deal with big projects, it is clear that they fail to visualise how these very projects can unfold and transform the country.
He noted too that the Stadium has propelled the rapid growth that the entire East Bank has witnessed over the past few years, particularly the massive housing boom.