The Sligoville Sports Complex, which was constructed with Chinese government grant. - File

THERE HAS not been a lot of activity at the Sligoville stadium since work on that complex was completed in early 2007. But a wide-scale plan, charted by a nine-member committee, is banking on bringing renewed energy to the historic St Catherine town.

Up to last month, a three-day cricket clinic that took place in March was the multi-purpose facility's only official assignment.

Sporting, festivals planned

K.D. Knight, chairman of the committee, told The Gleaner that more cricket camps for the area's youth are planned. He said there has been a lot of interest by schools and clubs to use the site.

Valerie Neita-Headley, who succeeded Knight as member of parliament for East Central St Catherine, is excited about several sports events lined up for the second half of 2008. Among them are football and netball leagues, which are scheduled to run for three months.

Perhaps the biggest project in the works for the Sligoville stadium is an Emancipation Festival, earmarked for July 31-August 2. It will be part of Jamaica's Independence celebrations and will commemorate the 170th year, counting from 1838, of the emancipation of slaves in the English-speaking Caribbean. A craft and food village and a culture night are part of the three-day itinerary, Neita-Headley said.

The stadium is a major initiative for Sligoville, a quiet farming community which was established in 1835 as the first free village for former slaves, then called apprentices. It was donated by the Chinese government and cost US$228 million to build.

The Shanxi Construction Engineering Company took just over one year to complete the stadium, which has a cricket field, netball court and 400m track.