THERE may soon be a major bidding war for Montego Bay Sports Complex as Mayor Richard Vernon says St James Municipal Corporation (STJMC) has opted to lease the stadium in its efforts to transform the city into a more prominent sporting hub.

The complex in Catherine Hall, which opened in 2010, is arguably Jamaica’s second-best sporting facility but has been faced with a plethora of issues.

The running track has been deemed unfit to host track and field since 2019, which has seen major events such as the long-standing Milo Western Relays moving to other venues. The football field was also inactive from May 2023 to January of this year following the STJMC’s $7-million project to renovate the field, which was hit by several delays.

STJMC has been considering private investment for Montego Bay Sports Complex over the last year, with businessman and chairman of Montego Bay United, Yoni Epstein signalling his intent to own the facility, which his club currently uses as their home ground.

Vernon told the Jamaica Observer that they will be reviewing applications from individuals interested in leasing the stadium, but says applicants must present plans to transform it into a multi-sport facility.

“The council has decided to lease the stadium, and that will be advertised [this] week,” he said. “A main condition for the applicants is that of being a registered sports development entity.

“In other words, applicants must present a plan for multidisciplinary buildout for the stadium, particularly track and field, football, tennis, swimming, and futsal — main staples for all parishioners. Netball, basketball, cricket, martial arts, and boxing are otherwise facilitated and will demand larger facilities as they grow; however, for now the aforementioned are the key areas.”

Until then, STJMC will continue its oversight of the stadium which has seen a controlled return of events with the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) last February and the ISSA Manning and daCosta Cup last weekend.

Vernon said other major football events involving the national senior men’s and women’s teams will be coming back to the second city, following discussions with Jamaica Football Federation. “We have hosted both [Reggae] Boyz and Girlz on many occasions, however the ambition is for World Cup qualifiers and Concacaf competitions to be played here consistently.

“Montego Bay is the only anglophone city in the Caribbean that can facilitate large-scale international events at a certain level and has the most potential for sports tourism. The new lessee is expected to play a pivotal role in realising that goal and those objectives.”

After the field’s upgrade, Vernon is hoping that more revenue will be made so as to ease the strain on the STJMC.

“Based on the investment made at $7 million, the stadium would need at least 10 undiscounted events that require the use of the entire stadium, which comes at the cost of $900,000 per event,” he said. “We have not had that yet. Aside from ISSA this month, every event hosted there since 2020 has been subsidised by the STJMC.”

The JPL season starts on Sunday, and Vernon is hopeful that Montego Bay United will make good use of the facilities to help improve the parish’s holistic development.

“We made a significant upgrade to the playing surface in recent times, and we continue to monitor its progress and use for the best outcome,” Vernon said. “Montego Bay United made a request to use it as their home field, and we have endowed the confidence of use and maintenance to the club. I expect them to win the premier league this season and continue to provide an avenue for the development of youth and sports in western Jamaica.”