BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Government has received confirmation from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) organizers that their US$1.2M bid was successful to host the championship games.
As was first reported by SKNVibes Sports, the games will be played in the Federation in August and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will benefit over US$100,000 for rental of the venue for that will hold the matches.
The government would collect approximately US$20,000 per game, Minister of Sports Shawn Richards said, adding that his administration weighed the cost and benefits of hosting the matches.
“We also indicated that that we want five percent of the gate receipts. We have asked for US$20,000 for each day the Semi-Finals and Finals for the use of the Warner Park facility. So you’re looking at a total of US$80,000.”
Moreover, he indicated that they have negotiation for US$25,000 to be donated to the St. Kitts-Nevis Education Foundation as part of its charity initiative.
To this end, the Minister jokingly said they are still negotiating to see what more the Government could attain from the CPL organizers.
According to Minister Richards, the CPL management team approached the Federal Government over the possibility of hosting the final matches. The proposal was taken to Cabinet for consideration and a positive answer was given.
This is the second time in the four-year history of the tournament that St. Kitts and Nevis will be playing host to the Finals. Back in 2014, Warner Park was the venue for three matches that saw Jamaica edging out the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
“I believe that this is testimony that over the years St. Kitts has been able to successfully host the CPL Games,” Richards said.
He stated during discussions with Pete Russell and his team, they indicated that they have developed a liking for the Federation as a venue for hosting matches.
In disclosing the news that the Federation would be hosting the matches, Chief Operations Officer of CPL Pete Russell explained that the body has a good relationship with the Federation and it was through talks with the Minister that Warner Park was chosen.
“We at CPL are happy to be back in St. Kitts playing the Finals. I must give special mention to the Minister, Shawn Richards, who was very instrumental in bringing the Finals back to the Federation, and also to all his Cabinet colleagues.”
The Caribbean Premier League bowled off last evening with the Trinidad taking on the St. Lucia Zouks.
