MAY DAY, Manchester — Minister with responsibility for sports Natalie Neita-Headley says May Day High School can reap rich rewards following the development of a multi-purpose court for netball, basketball and volleyball.

The facility, which cost $4.5 million, was built by the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) which is an agency of the Office of the Prime Minister. The multi-purpose court was formally handed over last Thursday.

“From May Day High School one day I am going to have a national netballer. You will also have the opportunity right here to develop other career opportunities in sports. You might be coaches as well, sports managers, sports medicine doctors, sports journalists. Out of this one court can come so much for all of you if you take care of it and apply yourselves,” said Neita-Headley.

The minister noted that even those who will not make it professionally on the field of play will benefit, as sports enhances a child’s development and helps to prevent non-communicable diseases.

“Sports bring people together. It allows for us (to understand) how to play a team sport and not only to be dependent on self. The world is not a self-dependent place. As a Government, we really have developed and embarked on a national sports policy which is geared towards ensuring that there is going to be sports for all, every resident of Jamaica. Whether you old or you young, rich or you poor, bright or you not so bright, physically challenged or not,” said Neita-Headley.

She said that Jamaica’s achievements in sport have made the country “a big deal.”

“May Day High School, you are a big deal as well and we are very pleased to allow for you to become even a bigger deal…,” Neita-Headley told cheering students.

Principal of the May Day High School Stanford Davis challenged coaches and students to win competitions, as “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

He said the court was not only useful for the school, but the entire community.

Davis said that netball is well established at the school and the task ahead was to build strong programmes in volleyball and basketball.

A complete development plan for the playground is being looked at, he said.

Chairman of the school’s board of governors, Karlene Thompson, said the need to give the students an opportunity for “holistic” development motivated the drive to work with stakeholders to have the new multi-purpose court.

Manchester Central Member of Parliament Peter Bunting, who led representation to have the project done, said it represented another step in the drive to improve infrastructure at schools in his constituency.

— Alicia Sutherland