NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 13, 2021) – – Hon. Eric Evelyn, Minister of Youth and Sports in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), says the Ministry of Sports will continue to focus on its infrastructural development and upgrade to its sporting facilities across Nevis in 2022.

“In terms of our plans, I’m very happy to say that all of the sporting facilities on Nevis… those that do not have lights will be getting lights, and I’m so proud to say that we’re not only outfitting all the fields with lights, but we are doing a retrofit project as well and so all of the fields that currently have lights, they will be getting new energy saving [LED] lights.

“We have actually started that project in Zion, at Hard Times and those fields that had no lights before. So we are going to be rolling it out in its entirety in 2022,” said Mr. Evelyn during the NIA Budget 2022 debate in the Nevis Island Assembly on December 08, 2021.

The Ministry also intends to install bathrooms at all the island’s sporting facilities. Hon. Evelyn informed that the Ministry is already partnering with a community group in Gingerland to construct bathroom facilities at the Zion Playing Field.

In the upcoming year, the Ministry of Sports will be looking to host some of the events previously planned that had been derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These include a Community Sports Day, a Masters Sports project, the Nevis Cross-country Championship Series, and a Netball super league.

“We are going to see what happens based on COVID for next year,” the Minister said.

He also spoke to the level of work that had gone into the upgrading of the Nevis Athletic Stadium (Mondo Track) with regard to the football field.

“We continue to work on it because we want it to get to perfection. As a matter of fact, persons from FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) have come there and looked at the facility and they are totally impressed, blown away by what we have here on this little island of Nevis.

“We have worked on it and we are expecting the fruits of our labour. When things get back to normal and we have those international and regional tournaments, Nevis will get its share.”

The Department of Sports was able to host football matches for the first time at the Stadium on Sunday, December 12, 2021 with a football exhibition series between the Department of Sports XI and St. Peters FC, and Bath United versus Cayon FC.

Mr. Evelyn further revealed that existing sports programs are expected to be continued in 2022 including the Nevis High School Championships, the Women’s T20 Blast, drag racing, and the Swim to Win initiative.