Greenland field unveiled in evening tour

Work on the Greenland football arena is nearing completion as the BVI Football Association unveiled the newly finished turf field last week.

During a Feb. 10 tour, BVIFA President Avanell Morton explained that the first phase of the project broke ground on Oct. 23 and consisted of building the turf, seats and fencing.

Now, he said, that phase has been completed at a cost of more than $100,000. The second and final phase will be constructing bathrooms and a drainage gutter, which will cost about $200,000 more, according to the president.

Mr. Morton said the field could be ready for play in the next three months, but he added that the BVIFA is awaiting the green light from FIFA, the international governing body of football, which is subsidising the project.

“FIFA has to come and test the field to make sure the field is in the right standard and everything is to their level,” he said. “It could be a month or it could be next month, but they are 90 percent ready to do all the testing.”

Mr. Morton did not disclose how much money FIFA and the government have contributed to the project.

The work on the field was carried out to address damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which left the facility below FIFA standards, according to Mr. Morton.

The wait since then, he said, was due to delays securing a lease on the land — an issue that persisted until November 2024. The property is now leased to the BVIFA by the government with assistance from FIFA, according to the president.

“They subsidise the BVI Football Association to make sure that we are funded and operational in our games and that our grassroot programme is developed,” Mr. Morton explained.

Looking forward

The BVIFA, he said, is responsible for maintaining the facility.

“We have trained people on island to maintain the field and everything, so we are responsible for that,” Mr. Morton said. “We had people trained while they were putting on the pitch. We had people training [during construction] to make sure we have people to follow up on what we are doing right. We just want to move forward and make everything a lot better.”

‘Working hard’

Players and other community members on the tour were happy to see the field restored.

“With better facilities, I think that gives incentives for players to keep on working hard, and it will give them a goal,” said Robert Green, a midfielder on the national team who trains at A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds. He added that he is relieved to have an improved field.

“I think confidence-wise and to improve your skills and train, I think this field would benefit [everyone], especially the kids growing up, to perfect their craft and help them to pursue their dreams of becoming a footballer,” Mr. Green said.