BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -- With the Warner Park Football Stadium in dire need of an upgrade, the facility will soon be under the stewardship of the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) through a lease agreement.
This development was confirmed by SKNFA President Atiba Harris, who explained that negotiations over the lease agreement is underway to place the facility under the auspices of the local governing body.
"We are currently in negotiations with the government, particularly the Ministry of Sports, for a lease on the Warner Park Football Stadium because we do understand the history of Warner Park," Harris informed reporters during a recent press conference.
SKNVibes Sports has learned that there was international pressure from the global governing body to transfer control of the venue to the local authority. With the facility now under the purview of the SKNFA, Harris emphasized plans for further refurbishment and upgrades.
While the SKNFA has undertaken several minor upgrades to facilitate regional and, on occasion, international competitions at the stadium, its current condition has led to it falling out of favor as the preferred choice.
"“We know that there is some work to be done and we want to do our part. Over the years, we would have invested heavily in infrastructure for the improvement of the Warner Park facility, and we want to continue that trend," stated the president.
Although Warner Park remains prominent in local discourse, it holds a different significance for CONCACAF, which has often selected the Technical Center as the preferred venue for regional competitions.
President Harris revealed that, by his count, the Federation possesses three venues capable of hosting international games. Notably, following the Club Shield tournament held in the country, CONCACAF favored the technical center.
"So fortunate that based on the tournament last year, CONCACAF would have chosen this particular venue - the SKNFA Technical Center for this tournament," disclosed the President.
Harris's remarks were made in light of the Federation hosting the CONCACAF Championship qualifiers, which also serve as direct World Cup qualifiers.
