The various concerns about the Jamaica leg of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 voiced recently by personalities and interest groups, including Kingston's Mayor Desmond McKenzie and the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), speak substantially to the need for the rapid implementation of a mass education and awareness programme.

Indeed, Mr Robert Bryan, head of Jamaica Cricket 2007, which constitutes the local organisers, recently told this newspaper that his team was getting ready to "roll out to the country" just such a programme.

Given that the World Cup is now just a year away, we submit that the mass awareness drive has to happen with the greatest urgency.

For the truth is that the cricket world cup will be quite simply the biggest ever single undertaking by the English-speaking Caribbean. The complexities abound, not least being the ICC's insistence on the prevention of "ambush marketing" - that the marks and brands of the sponsors and investors be protected at all costs.

Hence the "red zone" around Sabina Park, Jamaica's historic headquarters of cricket, which is being redeveloped to host seven World Cup games, including the tournament opener and one semi-final at a cost of US$29 million.

It's critical that those entrepreneurs, large and small, who are searching for ways to profit from the World Cup and the expected thousands of visitors, understand the parameters in which they will have to operate.

Caribbean governments will have to overcome numerous other hurdles, including transportation, accommodation and security.

Needless to say, the full co-operation and involvement of the entire community is a must. As Mr Bryan has pointed out, thousands of volunteers will be needed.

Obviously, there will be some inconvenience for some communities, especially for those in the immediate vicinity of Sabina Park and in northern Trelawny where a US$30-million facility is being built by the Chinese to host an elaborate opening ceremony as well as warm-up games.

Obviously too, the Jamaican government, like others around the region, will have to dig deep to cover the costs.

But we believe that the benefits will, over time, far outweigh the costs. In material terms, hundreds of millions of US dollars will be channeled through Caribbean economies and the publicity for regional tourism via worldwide television, for example, will be immeasurable.

Infrastructurally, we can safely say that modern stadia, as will now exist at Sabina Park and northern Trelawny, will not have been built without the promise of the World Cup.

Also, as Chris Dehring, head of Cricket World Cup 2007, and others have said, it's incumbent on our local entrepreneurs to find profitable niches. For example, a look at the group which will play its preliminary round games at Sabina Park in March 2007 reveals West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe.

We can safely assume that Irish and Zimbabwean supporters will be here in droves. So too the Pakistanis, large numbers of whom, mainly in the United States, Canada and England, are now saving their money with every intention of flying into Kingston to support their team come World Cup time next year.

The same can be said for cricket-crazy Indians, whose team will be playing two warm-up games in Trelawny.
Those entrepreneurs with the vision and know-how to provide the appropriate cuisine for our Pakistani and Indian visitors will very likely be smiling all the way to the bank.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World