Sport and Culture Fund fuels cricket revival

GOVERNMENT’S Sport and Culture Fund has been praised for the significant contribution it has been making towards national youth development.

The commendation came from the president of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) Azim Bassarath at the official opening of the 2023 cricket season, on Saturday, at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

Bassarath was speaking in the presence of officials of the fund, players and officials of the Queen’s Park I and Preysal teams who featured in one of four opening-round matches in the Premier League I competition.

The fund was represented by board chairperson Debra Coryat-Patton, secretary and representative of the Office of the Prime Minister Wendy Barton and a Ministry of Culture director Esther Inniss.

The TTCB president said the support provided by the fund has been crucial in ensuring the cricket organisation’s development programmes and competitions.

“This season marks the fourth year that the Sports and Culture Fund has been providing assistance which helps us stage the biggest national cricket tournament on the local calendar for the top clubs,” said Bassarath.

This season is especially important because, for the first time, the Premier League I clubs including defending champions Queen’s Park, Preysal, PowerGen Sports Club, Merryboys will be engaged in matches over three consecutive days.

“Based on our research and consultations, it was shown that a radical change was necessary to improve the fortunes of the Red Force team with our team having last won the regional four-day championship in 2006,” said Bassarath.

“I have previously stated and it was recently a major point of the CWI Report on the Caribbean team’s disappointing performance at last year’s T20 ICC World Cup, that we need to be playing more red-ball cricket,” said Bassarath.

He said three uninterrupted matches are scheduled this season, and it is planned that all fixtures in the Premier League I in 2024 will be three consecutive days’ duration.

“It is a start of the process to place us back on the top of the Caribbean’s longest format of the game and the TTCB wants to express its appreciation to the Sports and Culture Fund for making this a reality,” said Bassarath.

In her remarks, delivered in a slight drizzle at the Oval on Friday, before officials met the players, Barton noted the fund’s fourth year as a major sponsor of TT cricket.

And she thanked the TTCB for giving her the opportunity to give an overview of the extent of the board’s involvement in the sponsorship of sporting and cultural events.

“If you meet all the criteria set out by the Board for administration of the fund, you can receive some sponsorship which falls under the purview of the Office of the Prime Minister,” Barton said.

The Sport and Culture Fund and the Sport and Culture Fund Board of Management were established by Act No 31 of 1988 with amendments articulated in Act No 25 of 1993.

It was established to: facilitate the provision of sporting and cultural facilities; enable grants and loans to be made to deserving individuals, groups and organisations according to criteria set out by the board. It can also undertake any other activity related to sport and culture; or do all such things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above purposes.

Barton said funding to support grants to successful applicants is received from the Instant Lottery Surplus of the National Lotteries Control Board which represents the amount realised after defraying all the expenses and payments of prize money from the proceeds received from each instant lottery.

The board of the fund comprises chairman Debra Coryat-Patton; Secretary and Representative of the Office of the Prime Minister Wendy Barton, secretary and representative of the Office of the Prime Minister; Beverly Reid-Samuel, a director representing the Ministry of Sport; Mala Mohammed, a director representing the Ministry of Finance; Esther Inniss, a director representing the Ministry of Culture; Hasely Crawford, representing Sports and Culture; and Devon Seale, representing Culture.

Assistance is given in the form of grants, which may be provided to individuals or organisations in support of sports and cultural activities, as deemed appropriate by the Board.

As a general rule, partial funding of the total cost of any request for funding will be considered.

Receivers of grants from the Sport and Culture Fund do not qualify for further assistance within twelve (12) months of the Board’s approval of the last grant.

The board will not consider an application from a previous applicant, who has not accounted for the funds received.

Notwithstanding conformity with the requests made by the board, it reserves the right to approve applications subject to the availability of funds.

In considering the applications for funding of sporting and cultural activities, the board will:

Determine the eligibility of individuals and organisations for financial assistance from the Sport and Culture Fund; determine the feasibility of undertaking projects that will contribute to sport and culture within TT.