Dehring: No charge for children at Test matches

Children from across the region will not have to pay a cent to see the West Indies take on Australia in a three-match Test series starting next month.

Chief Executive Officer at Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chris Dehring on Friday revealed that all children will be allowed entry into the venues free of cost for the upcoming Test matches at Kensington Oval in Barbados, the Grenada National Stadium in Grenada and Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Speaking during the official launch of the ‘WI Home – Full Ah Energy’ campaign launch at Kensington Oval, Dehring said the initiative was launched as part of CWI’s new policy.

“At CWI we believe it is a human right for every child to have access to Test cricket. To be able to come to Test cricket it’s a human right in the Caribbean. “And so, this year for the first time we are instituting as a policy across the board that every child should be able to come to Test cricket for free,” Dehring said to rapturous applause.

“You don’t need a ticket, it is your right. A ticket is something for paid patrons, not your right, and if it is a right of our children, then it is the duty of our parents and our associations and our governments and every adult to ensure that our children have access to that right.”

CWI President Dr Kishore Shallow said he hoped the move would see stands full to capacity during the Test series.

“We of course are grateful to our new policy established by our new CEO that every single kid across the Caribbean will be able to attend our matches absolutely free.

“No more do you need a ticket, you just walk to the stadium and once you are a child you will get free access to the venues and we are hoping with that policy, along with this ‘Full Ah Energy’ campaign, we are going to have full stadiums across the Caribbean for every match; Test, ODI, T20,” Dr Shallow said.

(CMC)