IF all goes well lights could be installed at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium by November, general manager of the facility Major Desmon Brown has told the Observer.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange, speaking at yesterday's launch of the MOJO 6 LPGA Golf tournament set for April 13-16 at Cinnamon Hill in Montego Bay, said that the Government had negotiated with the promoters for part of the event's US$ 1-million purse to go towards facilitating the development of the country's sports infrastructure.

The amount, around US$25,000, is the equivalent of the minimum prize money which would be earned by 15-year-old golfer Mariah Stackhouse, who because of her age, would not be able to collect any winnings from the event.

Grange said the funds, a possible further sum from the country's hosting of the tournament, as well as proceeds from a celebrity dinner to be staged in California, would go towards installing lights at the Stadium.

The Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium was built for Jamaica's staging of games in the 2007 West Indies Cricket World Cup and was also the venue for the tournament's opening ceremony, though no lights are installed at the facility.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who was keynote speaker at the launch, stated that the government had other major plans for the Stadium's development.

"It represents a significant asset that can help promote Jamaica as a sporting destination," he said.

Grange told the Observer that the Government had only this week received a letter from the NBA about a possible partnership while a baseball diamond will be built at the compound.

The Government recently turned down an offer by the University of Technology (UTech) to turn the Stadium into its Western campus, but Grange told the Observer that she hoped it would become part of the survey to help develop the complex as they had the right technical skills for the job.

"We might not be partnering in the way that they had planned, but there is room for them and there is room for us to work as partners and we really want them to come assist us," she said.

"The existing offer that they had would kill the stadium," Brown said of the university's offer, which included turning the boxes into classrooms and a staff room.

The Government has offered UTech the nearby Hague ground which Grange said would be more suited to the university's plans.

Meanwhile, Brown was at great pains to point out the strategic position of the Stadium, which he noted was key in developing the country's sport tourism product.

"It is where the hotel rooms are, it is where the major attractions are; in sports tourism what is important is not only the sports facility, but you need to have the attractions, the golf courses, the beach, and Trelawny is just the ideal place," Brown stated. "If we kill that facility then we have to start from scratch again."

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