MONTEGO BAY, St James — Yoni Epstein, chairman of Montego Bay Multi Sports Development Limited, the umbrella company under which Premier League club Montego Bay United operates, has described last Wednesday’s unveiling of plans for the development of the Montego Bay Sports Complex as “a game changer for the city, it’s actually a game changer nationally”.

After signing a 25-year lease for the complex, which is situated in Catherine Hall, with the St James Municipality at the end of February, work has started at the complex that was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October last year.

A ceremony at the complex on Wednesday, unveiled an ambitious plan for the venue the developers say will be the “Caribbean’s most dynamic sport and wellness community hub.”

The plan, which includes two other full-sized football fields, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, racquet sports courts, futsal courts, a 40-room dormitory and gym among other amenities, is still on track to be completed inside the $700-million budget, Epstein told the Jamaica Observer.

“I think this is a game changer for the city” he said. “It’s actually a game changer nationally. There’s no sporting complex to this level as to what we’re looking to achieve here in the country, and being that we’re in the tourism capital of Jamaica, it’s fitting, and I’m excited to see the different phases come to life, to see people and life back into the complex, coming out of the hurricane.”

The football field and flood lights that were extensively damaged by flood waters during and after the hurricane should be ready by August when the 2026-27 Jamaica Premier League season gets underway and Epstein was already looking forward to returning.

“The first thing is to watch football back here again on a Monday night, under flood lights come August,” he said.

At the November 2024 tendering of the bid for the complex, Epstein had told the Jamaica Observer then they had a $700-million budget and said despite the delay as well as events since then, as of now, they were still within that budget.

“No, the budget has not gone up. In some senses, I actually think it might come down slightly just based on procurement and how we’re procuring certain things. So we are still working with that budget.”

After the field and flood lights, Epstein said the timeline for the other areas they planned on working on over the next 18 months or so, into the second half of 2027, were, “Pickleball, the futsal, the small-sized pitches, and the food and beverage areas, those will all come in the fourth quarter of this year,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“The Express Fitness is looking to be ready by the first quarter of next year. Hot Box will be in the fourth quarter of this year, and as I said, the track, aquatics and those things will look to happen in the second half of 2027 and then we keep building on top of that.”

During his presentation, Epstein said the vision they had was to create a complex that will be in use regularly, not just for football games or track and field meets but one where activities will be staged daily.

“What we all want to create is what we’re calling the hive. You know, Montego Bay doesn’t really have a hub, a place where people can gather on a regular basis for sports and wellness, and effectively, you know, the hive is what the Montego Bay Sports Complex would become with not only major tournaments or major events, but also everyday things.”

There will also be a recovery area for athletes he said, “cold and hot pools, as well as saunas and things of that nature, and that’s what we want here. We want this not only to be a place of large events, but a place of everyday activity that the community can come out, walk on the track, if that’s what is necessary for you. Go to get a membership at Express Fitness, or play a racket sport, or come together with a dozen people and play and play football.”

Epstein stressed the need for the resurfacing of the 400m running track as well as the construction of the swimming pool as he said athletes in those sporting disciplines were being disenfranchised having to travel long distances to access them.

Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon endorsed the plan saying having more sporting outlets in the city leads to more young people being positively engaged.

“There are many more talented youngsters out there wasting away, and that is why I’m happy for this, because this is going to embolden the trajectory that Montego Bay is on, and that trajectory that we are on, low crime rate, this will maintain low crime rate. It is going to cause our youngsters to be positively engaged, football, tennis, pickleball, track and field, you name it.”

Vernon said the development could have a positive effect on sports in western Jamaica, football in particular, and pointed to the downturn in major trophies being won by high school and club teams.

“This is the time to bring it back. Football in western Jamaica will rise again. It will, and it will be coalesced through this,” Vernon said.

Yoni Epstein, chairman of the Montego Bay Multi sports Development Limited