The Ambergris Stadium Renovation Project was officially launched on September 18th, now, a little over a month after work has begun on the new stadium, progress is very visible. AM Construction Company Limited from Orange Walk is undertaking the project, and so far, piles have been installed while other sections such as parking, and the broadcasting booth field have been outlined. Next will be the designing of the perimeter fence around the main pitch and working in the drainage system for the stadium. The project is estimated to cost $2.3 million dollars, and is being coordinated by Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL) in collaboration with the San Pedro Town Council and funded by the Government of Belize in a commitment to the youth of the country.
Once complete, the sport facility will be equipped with a FIFA international standard pitch and will be able to host international matches. The San Pedro Sun met with BIL General Manager Christy Mastry on Tuesday, November 10th, who said that the works are advancing as planned and talks have been held on the possibility of using synthetic turf on the pitch. “Today a consultancy team who is installing a certified synthetic turf in the Isidor Beaton Stadium in Belmopan has come with me to do a site visit of the Ambergris Stadium. We are looking to see if the synthetic turf will be appropriate and affordable for the project in Ambergris Caye. It has been a suggestion to us by many people, and we know the challenges with maintaining natural grass, the irrigation and water supply so we are trying to pull our pennies together and make this work.” commented Mastry. “As you can see, we have put a lot of filling on the site and we had a discussion to confirm that with this filling and the additional sand we have order it will take us to the necessary height needed in order to accommodate the proper drainage for the synthetic turf, but it looks like we are 80% sure that we will be providing synthetic turf for the island.”
The plan to finish the sporting facility in between 8 to 10 months is still on as no delays are expected to interfere with the project. Even though there were heavy rains in the past weeks, the delivery of the project should be on time. The heavy torrential rains that affected the country and island due to a recent tropical wave put the site to the test. According to the contractor, the filling on the pitch proved to be very efficient as the impact of the flooding did not do much damage. This means that with the additional filling and the proper drainage installed, rain will not be a problem for the stadium.
The vision of BIL is for the project to include a regulation grass pitch, bleachers to seat 800, locker facilities, concession stands, bathroom facilities and a storage unit. Once completed, the field will be the only proper football pitch on the island and will benefit the development of the sport on the island. The stadium will also be suitable for softball, running and track and field.
