MoBay Sports Complex ruled out for the remainder of JPL season

CHAIRMAN of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) Richard Vernon has confirmed that the Montego Bay Sports Complex, which was extensively damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa late last year, will not be ready for the remainder of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.

The setback is a major blow for the once-vibrant venue, which has now been left scarred and unplayable. With the surface destroyed, its future is on hold despite being insured and undergoing repairs.

“It is unfortunate that we lost the football field. It was completely destroyed, so we have to build a new one. We actually rebuilt it in 2024 to the tune of $7 million. I am happy that it is just a field that we have to repair and we did not sustain injury or damage to a person or loss of lives,” Vernon said, noting that the field will need to be extensively rehabilitated before it can host matches again.

The chairman stated that the stadium was insured and repairs were under way, with the goal of restoring the facility for the 2026-2027 football season.

“It is something that we can rehabilitate so we can continue to facilitate football in Montego and ensure that we position ourselves as the leaders for football in western Jamaica,” Vernon added, stating that the municipality was in the process of doing a clean-up and that further assessment was ongoing.

With the playing field and running track completely destroyed, other sections, including the seating areas and car parks, also sustained significant damage.

The once-pristine home of Montego Bay United Football Club (MBUFC) is now stacked with debris, roaming livestock, and thick vegetation, with trees beginning to take root on the playing field.

The stadium, which bears the scars of Hurricane Melissa, has rendered the venue unrecognisable, casting a shadow over the future of sports activities once centred at Catherine Hall.

With the stadium out of use, MBUFC has been forced to relocate to Jarrett Park in the city.

As for the track inside the stadium, it has deteriorated tremendously over the past few years and was taken out of service out of fear that continued use could result in athletes suffering serious injuries.

According to Vernon, work is also being done on the track.

“We started some work on the track, we skimmed it. The track will not be available for Western champs. We are mindful of it, and that is why we went ahead to pursue innovative ways to have the stadium ready to facilitate the sporting event,” said Vernon.

Since 2018, it has not been used for track and field, and it has had negative effects on the region’s track and field athletes, with many having to travel as far as St Catherine for major meets.

“We are still awaiting the necessary things to be done so that we can move forward with those plans, but we do have it high on our agenda.”

Continuing, Vernon said the general stadium area would be rehabilitated to ensure that they can have true multidisciplinary offerings for the city of Montego Bay , municipality of St James and western Jamaica.

The 7,000-capacity stadium was developed at a cost of US$14.9 million and opened in June 2010.