- Target:
- Harold Dalson - Minister for Social Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment
- Region:
- Saint Lucia
Soufriere have been known for its great sporting abilities and year after year our athletes keep on excelling. To ensure that the community continue to perform well and exceed expectations it is vital that the necessary resources are available to enhance development.
As the population increased it became necessary to build a new field and a new one was constructed in the Palmiste area. The community was then served with two fields Old Trafford and the Soufriere playing field. Since the construction of the Soufriere playing field, Old Trafford was used mainly as a training ground and to host mostly friendly cricket matches.
However as a result of natural disaster there have been a tremendous deterioration of the famous playing field, making it unfit for the simplest of sporting activities. All persons now looked to the Soufriere playing field to engage in all types of sporting and recreational activities. At the time the field served its purpose, hosting many community planned activities at little to no cost.
Due to the large number of persons attending these sporting activities the need for seating area was identified and so the infrastructure to facilitate this and other amenities that were lacking was constructed. The construction of the stadium, while appreciated, came at a cost to the people that it was meant to serve. It meant that large sums of money was needed to hold sporting any organized sporting activity.
Since all activities were now being done at the Soufriere playing field it was only a matter of time for the surface to experience severe degradation. As a result the Soufriere playing field had to be resurfaced resulting in an entire year where no sporting activity could take place and nowhere for persons to recreate. Two years after the resurfacing of the playing field it is already starting to show signs of degradation as the surface cannot support the enormous amount of activity that is being held on a daily basis.
Soufriere is the only major town in St. Lucia with one full size playing field.
The Soufriere Youth and Sports Council have received many complaints and concerns by community members with regards to the playing field. Calls were made for the possibility of bringing Old Trafford back to a state by which it could be used by the public. That was not possible as the other plans were already in place for Old Trafford.
Determined members of the community have identified other areas that the government can look at to acquire land for the construction of a new playing field. These areas are:
1. The piece of land below the Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School
2. The piece of land along the main road in Chateau Belair.
These are mere suggestions and upon further investigation may not be the ideal locations, nevertheless the Soufriere Youth and Sports Council along with the people of Soufriere, call on the Hon. Minister Harold Dalson to construct a new full size playing field in the district.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The New Playing Field for Soufriere petition to Harold Dalson - Minister for Social Transformation, Local Government and Community Empowerment was written by Soufriere Youth and Sports Council and is in the category Sports at GoPetition.