National Sports Council to be restructured

The process has begun to restructure the operations of the National Sports Council (NSC) of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Already in place is a broad-based committee, which is looking at the council’s operations, the Act which governs the NSC, as well as other areas pertinent to modern day governance practices.

Making this known was chair of the NSC Richard Branch, as he addressed a stakeholders meeting recently at the council’s administrative centre at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

In disclosing some of the areas being looked at, Branch noted that marketing of the council’s facilities, namely the Arnos Vale Playing Field, is a priority area.

“We already have a marketing committee set up,” Branch informed.

This committee, Branch said, would look at ways of making the main venue a viable option in the income flow of the council.

“Marketing is a big item, in that it is going to drive our thrust in terms of being more self-sufficient and less reliant on government’s subvention,” the NSC manager outlined.

Branch, though, was cognisant that several upgrades were needed as a prelude to any full scale marketing thrust.

“Our marketing has been limited by the realities of the current state of the facility… Large sections of the facility that needs repairing, which has limited our thrust towards marketing,” Branch confirmed.

He revealed that it would need some $700 000, to be injected in the upgrade of the Arnos Vale Playing Field, with over $100 000 allocated for the replacement and procurement of equipment.

Branch zeroed in on the state of the Frank Thomas Pavilion, which he said is in need of urgent repairs to the stairs and to the corporate boxes.

He said that the corporate boxes in the past had provided a source of income to the council.

Branch underscored the overall policy outline of a restructured NSC is embedded in a strategic plan that has been formulated.

Among some of the matters to be instituted is the zoning of the facilities (playing fields and hard courts), which are under the aegis of the NSC, as well as a move towards making the area committees become greater stakeholders in the management of the facilities.

The NSC came into being through a 1988 Act of Parliament.