Historic Kensington Oval has undergone a comprehensive transformation, in keeping with plans to transform the venerable cricket ground into becoming a premier destination for world-class events.
Damien Gaskin, Chair of the Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), unveiled the extensive upgrades over the weekend just in time for the upcoming International Cricket Council’s Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup. Barbados will host nine matches which bowl off on Sunday, including the finals on June 29.
One of the most significant upgrades is the installation of new lighting.
“We’ve got brand new light towers up . . . We’ve installed 468 brand new lights on the towers,” Gaskin explained. “The construction company told us this is the second most lights they’ve installed anywhere in the world, including NFL and Major League Baseball stadiums.” This ensures that the Oval meets international standards for night games and other events.
Originally intended to be temporary, certain hospitality and grandstand structures will now become permanent fixtures.
“The grandstand, though, is modular,” the KOMI chairman told journalists. “If seats are needed somewhere else on the island or even in the region, we have the option now to also rent those seats to other places kind of as need be. So regionally, locally, as events come that require seating, then we have the capacity here at Kensington Oval. There are approximately just over 2 500 seats in that grandstand. We have some spheres as well, you know, that are stored on property. So, we have the ability to increase capacity kind of around the island at various events.
“As a nation, we have gotten ourselves in a situation where we can host one of the biggest events in the world. So we’re setting up a platform to host similar events going forward. So, therefore, we need to have more capacity. You look at the capacity of some of the other grounds around the world [and] you find that last year played in India, 130 000 persons were in that facility. Obviously, we can’t do anything at this physical facility to host 130 000 persons, but if we can increase the capacity and have it be at around 18 000 now, that significantly also improves the economics of big world-class events to come.”
Damien Gaskin, Chairman of Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), unveils new enhancements at the Oval ahead of the Cricket World Cup, set to commence in four days.
Gaskin also revealed cost had a role to play in the decision to keep the stands and the new hospitality facility beyond CWC 2024.
“We would have to pay money to send that equipment back. And that came in probably somewhere around 30-plus containers. For those who know the price of those containers, you do the math, that’s not cheap to send them up. So it made more sense from an economics perspective to keep those stands here. What it did though is it changes now the utilisation of the facility.
Ambassador Noel Lynch, head of the National Organisation Committee for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2024.
“We’re also doing is we’re bringing now proper turf protection that we can have stages on the field, pedestrians on the field without having a negative impact on the grass, on the turf. So we’re gonna do different orientations, and that also helps now from another perspective with respect to the neighbours. Kensington has been the host of a lot of events, parties, fetes . . . so with that stand being there, and the bringing the turf protection, then we can have now a setup that’s further away from the neighbours, we can also bring those stands into play.” This, he said, would also allow for more flexibility.
Addressing safety concerns, Gaskin assured the public of the structural integrity of the new stands and hospitality centre.
“The company that installed those, also sent down an engineer for both facilities, to test and certify the structures. There’s 2 549 seats up there… It starts at row A, it goes all the way to Z, you know. So there are 26 rows and then the seating goes all the way across. If you see the structure underneath, the interconnection, the cross… it’s solid. These structures are solid.
“The engineers… also worked with local code. So we’ve had our local civil engineers communicate with the international folks and share what the standards are here. And they confirmed that they are built to our standards and specifications. And then there are various regulations with respect to high winds and so on and so forth.”
KOMI Chair, Damien Gaskin, engages with media during a weekend tour of the outfield at Kensington Oval.
Another safety feature is the over 60 ballasts at the bottom of the stand, weighing in some instances over two tonnes each and tied off with some level of rope or steel.
The renovations to Caribbean cricket’s Mecca also include significant infrastructure upgrades across the stadium.
“The Players Pavilion has received a top-to-bottom upgrade, and the Media Centre has been expanded,” Gaskin noted. “We’ve also upgraded the general infrastructure, including the bathrooms, which really required a lot of work.” The Media Centre now has the capacity to host up to 100 journalists, up from its previous capacity of 38, reflecting the growing importance of media in sports. “Media is driving a lot of the economics in sports, and our upgrades reflect this shift,” the KOMI chairman added.
The upgrades are part of a broader strategy to future-proof Kensington Oval. “The facility was last redone in 2007. Fast forward to 2024, and significant work was needed,” Gaskin explained. “We’ve put in the work over the last few months to ensure the stadium meets the highest standards.” This includes new bathrooms, expanded seating, and advanced technology like LED screens and improved broadcasting infrastructure. “We’re happy to show the results of the work that has been done,” he said.
The Players’ dressing rooms have been revamped for a fresh look.
Philip Spooner, the tournament’s media operations manager, has highlighted its global significance.
“We are going to be hosting the single largest event in the country’s history,” Spooner said. “The final will be the biggest event in the history of the Caribbean. There will be no bigger event in the history of the Caribbean. The global audience is already, whether India plays or not, the global audience is 750 million. If India plays, it’s a billion. We appreciate that when the West Indies play India bilateral, it’s 175 million.
“And when people say, oh, what does cricket bring to the economy, what is the value of cricket? Well, that’s cricket right there. And some of the largest sponsors of sports are presently ICC sponsors and more will be attracted. And you saw FLOW come on board the other day. There’s Coca-Cola, it’s obviously a big global sporting brand, Aramco and Emirates, two of the ICC’s largest brands, and they will bring with them their associates.”
He also noted that in terms of audience, the T20 World Cup’s global audience can rival that of the NFL Super Bowl.
“And I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but after the World Cup, there’s Copa America, there’s Euros, and there’s the Olympics. So this is a competition. It’s a global sporting competition. Because brands want to associate with the leading sporting events.
“But it’s a competition that’s, quote-unquote, obviously, for want of a better word. But this is the biggest thing ever, full stop. We’re not going to get any bigger unless Rihanna brings a global tour. And even that might not reach that level.” (RG)
