Brian Lara Cricket Academy
| Brian Lara Cricket Academy | |
|---|---|
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| Brian Lara Cricket Academy | |
| Earlier names | |
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Brian Lara Stadium |
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| Data | |
| place | San Fernando (Trinidad and Tobago) |
| Coordinates | 10 ° 17 '47 " N , 61 ° 25' 52.4" W |
| owner | Trinidadian Ministry of Sports |
| operator | Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago |
| start of building | 2004 |
| opening | May 13, 2017 |
| First game | June 2017 |
| surface | Natural grass |
| costs | 120 million euros |
| architect | Hellmuth, Obata + cash tree |
| capacity | 15,000 |
| Capacity (internat.) | 15,000 |
| Events | |
The Brian Lara Cricket Academy (mostly simply referred to as Brian Lara Stadium in the media ) is a cricket stadium in San Fernando in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad and Tobago . The stadium named after Brian Lara is known for its long construction period and escalating construction costs.
geography
The stadium is located in West Trinidad in the Tarouba Community, which is formally part of the Princes Town Region but is administered by the City of San Fernando. The stadium is located east of San Fernando's Marabella district in the middle of agricultural land. The stadium is connected to the traffic network by its own driveway on the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway , one of the most important north-south axes in the country, which the stadium is for visitors from San Fernando, but also from the urban center of Chaguanas, 30 kilometers to the north, or the 50 kilometers north of the state capital Port of Spain . The closest regular bus stop for the state-owned PTSC is in Gasparillo , four kilometers to the north , but the stadium is served by private "maxi taxis" (minibuses that run on fixed routes) and the state buses stop outside of rush hour if requested.
history
The construction was a political decision. Cricket is popular in common with football Trinidad sport, and the largest cricket stadium in the country, the Queen's Park Oval , is owned by the private cricket club Queen's Park Cricket Club. The Trinidadian government, then provided by the PNM party, wanted to oppose the Queen's Park Oval with a state stadium. The order was placed in 2004 by the Trinidad Ministry of Sports, and the client was UDeCOTT (Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago) , which is also a state-owned construction company . The designs come from the US architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum . The stadium is named after the former Trinidadian cricketer Brian Lara . According to the original plans, the stadium was to be built in time for the 2007 Cricket World Cup to accommodate the training matches for teams from Ireland, Canada, Pakistan and South Africa. The estimated construction costs were TT $ 272 million (then about 32.5 million euros).
In September 2006, however, it had to be admitted that the completion could not be done in time, and the games were moved by the ICC to the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine . As a result, the construction costs rose without a completion date could be forecast. In 2009 the cost was estimated at TT $ 700 million, and a commission of inquiry was set up, chaired by the renowned British building surveyor John Uff. The commission prepared an expert opinion that declared the load-bearing steel structure of the building to be ready for demolition, but did not come to any conclusion with regard to responsibility for the entire construction situation and possible measures. In the 2010 general election, the ruling PNM lost power to the rival UNC, for whom the completion of the stadium was not a priority project. Also in 2010, the Trinidadian anti-corruption authority ACIB investigated UDeCOTT and the responsible construction company Hafeez Karamath Limited (HKL), which triggered an additional scandal when weapons and drugs were seized on a large scale during a raid on the villa of the HKL founder. Between 2010 and 2015, considerable amounts of building materials (including copper cables) were stolen from the shell without the construction company responsible being able to quantify the extent of the thefts.
In the 2015 elections , the PNM came back to power and pushed ahead with the completion of the stadium. In 2016, repair work worth TT $ 90 million was necessary on the construction site, including replacing all of the already installed seating. In this context, accusations of corruption were again raised, which the UDeCOTT vehemently denied. The stadium was officially opened on May 13, 2017. The final construction cost was over TT $ 1 billion (around € 124 million), almost four times the original budget. The wish expressed by the namesake Brian Lara to name one of the stands after the Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was rejected by the Trinidadian Cricket Federation.
capacity
The stadium has 15,000 seats, most of which consist of fixed seating and a small part of green terraces. The area of the stadium has a size of one hectare and, in addition to the stadium and parking lots, also includes 12 tee-off practice areas and a fitness studio.
use
The stadium is operated by the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago, a spin-off of the Trinidad Ministry of Sports. The first cricket matches played in the stadium took place as part of a national Twenty20 tournament in June 2017. The first international games were the playoffs and the finals of the Caribbean Premier League 2017 in September 2017. Since the season 2017/18 Trinidad and Tobago carries the stadium individual home games within the West Indian first-class competition from.
Individual evidence
- ↑ IndianExpress.com: India vs West Indies: Unlike his hundreds, Brian Lara stadium doesn't make everybody happy. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
- ↑ TTWhistleblower.com: Controversial Brian Lara Stadium. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Shaliza Hassanali: Thieves cart off material from Brian Lara Stadium . In: Trinidad Guardian . January 24, 2016.
- ↑ Laurel Williams, Ralph Banwarie: Drug Den for Rich . In: Trinidad Newsday . August 21, 2010.
- ↑ Sue-Ann Wayow: Done by December: Work starts on Brian Lara Stadium . In: Trinidad Express . August 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ↑ Sue-Ann Wayow: It's a big fat lie! . In: Trinidad Express . August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ↑ CricTracker.com: Brian Lara disappointed as TT board turns down requests for Sachin Tendulkar stand. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
- ↑ UDeCOTT.com: Brian Lara Cricket Academy. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
- ↑ NationNews.com: CPL finals to be held at Brian Lara Stadium. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .