Jamaica’s Minister of Tradition, Gender, Leisure and Sport, Olivia Grange, mentioned her ministry “did its greatest” to offer assist to the Jamaica Tallawahs cricket crew.
Her assertion comes following the announcement that Jamaica Tallawahs, the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions, won’t characteristic within the match’s 2024 season and might be changed by a brand new franchise primarily based in Antigua and Barbuda.
Final month, the proprietor of the Tallawah Kris Persaud, a Guyanese businessman primarily based in Florida, bought the franchise again to the CPL. In response to a launch, “the homeowners had been left with no possibility however to promote the Tallawahs again to CPL as they may not discover a method to function the crew sustainably.”
The Jamaican authorities, particularly the sports activities ministry, confronted backlash for not adequately supporting the crew, following the announcement.
Sports activities Minister says funding was supplied
In a press release on Thursday, Minister Grange mentioned her ministry “sought to supply particular assist to the Tallawahs on the stage that our funds would allow.”
She mentioned her ministry supplied money, paid for companies, in addition to coordinated companies throughout the Authorities of Jamaica to facilitate the Tallawahs.
Cumulatively, direct money funds of J$13 million had been supplied to Jamaica Tallawahs, together with the acquisition of tickets for matches, between 2015 and 2019.
Extra assist was supplied together with offering items and tools wanted to be used throughout cricket matches; offering transportation for the crew; and licenses for tv broadcasts.
Grange mentioned she additionally efficiently participated in discussions with personal sector corporations about sponsorship for the crew.
“We did our greatest to offer assist to the Tallawahs. The Tallawahs bear our nation’s identify, however are usually not a nationwide crew, and are due to this fact not lined within the yearly allocations to the Jamaica Cricket Affiliation. Nevertheless, now we have sought to supply particular assist to the Tallawahs on the stage that our funds will allow,” she mentioned.
Authorities not ‘anti-cricket,’ says minister
Grange famous that the Sports activities Improvement Basis supplied J$263 million in grants to all nationwide sports activities federations in 2023.
“It’s estimated that the Tallawahs require US$1 million annually—or greater than J$150 million; however to be able to give them extra we must minimize funding to the greater than 40 Nationwide Sports activities Federations, comparable to soccer, netball, monitor, and area, who rely upon authorities to run their applications and have been requesting extra sums — which we’re challenged to supply,” she defined.
Minister Grange challenged the notion that the federal government was anti-cricket, declaring that the Jamaica Cricket Affiliation receives extra funding annually from the Sports activities Improvement Basis than all different nationwide federations besides soccer and monitor and area.
