Brac sports field to boost island’s tourism

(CNS): The investment into upgrading the sports facilities on Cayman Brac as part of a phased development plan will encourage sports tourism to the island, according to Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell, who says the recent upgrades to the island’s airport, which makes outward bound international flights from the Brac possible, pave the way for the island to host smaller tournaments.

Four new changing room buildings equipped with lockers, showers, bathrooms and projection screens, which will be used for premier league football matches, will also provide a modern and safe environment for local teams to engage in sports activities, the officials stated.

“The long term goal is to derive as much benefit from the investment as possible, and one way of doing this is by structuring the sports programme to meet international standards,” said Sports Instructor Mitchum Sanford.

“We are working hard to ensure that our programmes are operated and implemented at a level which is either on par with or exceeds the standards in other jurisdictions, as that is the best way to successfully attract universities, professional teams, scouts and foreign coaches to utilise these facilities and share in our sporting programmes. Every coach or foreign group that has visited Cayman Brac to participate in our programmes speaks highly about the structure of the programmes, discipline of athletes, quality of facilities, friendliness of people and ease of implementation.”

Before the new changing rooms, a FIFA-certified artificial turf surface was laid, as well as perimeter system lighting to enable matches to be played after dark, portable fencing and bleachers, and a new cistern and parking area.

“Sports tourism is the single largest driver of visitor travel outside of traditional sun, sea and sand vacations,” Kirkconnell said. “With the airport expansion potentially adding new direct international flights and additional seats already available through Cayman Airways, we are well placed to market Cayman Brac as an ideal location for smaller tournaments. As well as providing a welcomed economic boost, sports tourism opportunities, if timed correctly, would also help to reduce the impact of seasonality by increasing arrivals during off-peak periods.”

Osbourne Bodden, the sports minister, said the upgrades were transforming the sports complex into a magnificent facility. “It will present a myriad of opportunities for Cayman Brac. It was great to see that even with the enhancements in place the facility has maintained its strong community focus and is being run in a cost-effective way by a hard-working enthusiastic team,” he added.

The next phase of development is expected to include a 400m athletics track, followed in the future by a 25-metre swimming pool.

Tags: Cayman Brac, Moses Kirkconnell

Category: Sports Tourism, Tourism