It’s party time at Sabina

Cricket lovers mark the date and the coordinates -- March 11 -- when the celebrations begin at the historic town of Falmouth, north of Jamaica. The Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, the home of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, is a $30 million facility that is spread across 60 acres of land.

There are two stands – north and south – with seating capacity of 2,500 and 7,500. The seats in the stand are laid out in both colour and form, showing Jamaica's national flag. While the southern stand offers a view of the Caribbean Sea and the town of Falmouth, spectators in the north stand can enjoy a picturesque view of a lush-green mountain range. The south stand houses the press boxes, media and broadcast networks, and facilities for the teams and officials.

In addition there are two grassed berms that can accommodate 5,000 spectators. These open spaces in both the venues add the magical Caribbean flavour to the game. In these open areas of the stadium, a live band will play, spectators can buy a ticket to ‘party stand’, enjoy the game, knock off a few drinks, uncork a beer bottle, and shake a leg.

The ICC World Cup 2007 events will begin here with four warm-up matches between March 5 and 9 and the opening ceremony on Sunday, March 11. The stadium is accessible to the physically challenged and wheelchair-bound, with wide isles, ramps and railings. 

The organisers are expecting around 600 international media personnel to attend the opening ceremony that will be beamed by the broadcasters to an estimated 2.6 billion television audience. Sabina Park evokes fond memories: India won the last Test match played on these grounds in July last year, propelled by a match-winning spell by Anil Kumble.

Work on the stadium has been done in three phases. The pitch and field of play were the first to be completed as per best international standards. The outfield at Sabina Park has now been fitted with a sub-surface drainage network and an automatic irrigation system. Sections of the George Headley Stand have also been refurbished.

The second phase involved the completion of work in the George Headley Stand. Phase three of the project covered the demolition of the old north stand and creating a new structure that will house players, sponsors and officials facilities. The stand also has the broadcast control facilities; press box, 78 executive suites at two levels, and seating for an estimated 7,500 spectators. 

Sabina Park now has a large ‘party stand’ below the electronic scoreboard. The stadium will be able to accommodate the physically challenged and persons confined to wheelchairs. For the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, Sabina Park will accommodate 20,000 fans of which 4,000 will be ‘temporary seating’. It will host six first round group matches and one semi-final.