Franklyn: Time for a J'can Sports Museum

A Jamaican Sports Museum must be established in order to continue nation-building through sports, said attorney-at-law and former government minister Delano Franklyn.

Franklyn made the statement during his presentation Sport in Jamaica: A Local and International Perspective at the annual GraceKennedy Foundation Lecture at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday.

Franklyn noted that on four separate occasions within the last 23 years, government ministers had declared that a Hall of Fame, or Sports Museum, in some form would be established under their directive.

In July 1983, Minister of Youth and Community Development, Errol Anderson, spoke to the "preparation for a Hall of Fame in the Institute of Sport".

Thirteen years later, former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, in reference to the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), said it would be "establishing a sports museum or hall of fame".

In 2002, then Minister of Sport, Portia Simpson Miller, also said a Sports Library and Museum would be established at her direction, while in 2008, current Minister of Sports Olivia Grange said her ministry intended to "integrate our culture and sports portfolios... in establishing a Sports Museum."

"We have done a lot of pronouncements. We need to actualise," Franklyn said.

The chair of the Asafa Powell Foundation told the Observer that Jamaica has produced too many quality sportsmen and women to not have established a Sports Museum or Hall of Fame.

"It's long overdue," he said.

Franklyn identified the CHASE Fund as one possible source of funding, but added that he believed the private sector would be happy to get involved in such a venture.

"So it would not be the state alone that would be financing this thing," he said, adding that a portion of the CHASE Fund's allocation to the SDF could be targeted specifically for the establishment of the museum.

"That is money that is there, it's just to determine what is priority," he added.

Franklyn's idea of a Sports Museum includes a building where locals and foreigners could view Jamaican sports memorabilia, footage from sporting events, and a seminar room for ongoing discussions on sport.

"That would make it more attractive and interactive," he said.

"So many of our athletes have paraphernalia that they have gotten from their participation in competitions all over the world," Franklyn stated.

"For example, if you wish to see things pertaining to Courtney Walsh, George Headley, Herb McKenley, or Lindy Delapenha, where do you go?"

Franklyn, who also specialises in sports law, stated that with the right kind of management, the museum could be self-sustainable.

"This is something where you charge a fee in order for it to sustain itself, but it must be something that will not prohibit people from coming.

"I'm not saying that we need to start with all of that, but at least to identify a house or building owned by government that can be refurbished and we can start the process," Franklyn told the Observer.

He pointed out that similar steps had been taken by government in providing permanent residences for the national netball and football teams.

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