Tampa cricket league pledges $60 million for Jamaica youth programme

A US-based cricket organisation has pledged $60 million toward youth cricket in Jamaica, backing an islandwide schools competition of 120 primary and all-age institutions in a bid to reverse long-running decline at the higher levels of the game.

The competition got under way in Mandeville at the weekend, set against an underfunded domestic league and years of struggle for West Indies cricket. The programme is driven by Delroy Bent, competition coordinator and head of the Tampa Premier Cricket League in the United States.

Bent said the league is committing $60 million to the effort. With each school budgeted at $500,000, the package covers coaches, umpires, and training, including classes for umpires, coaches, and scorers. He argued that cricket will not advance without heavy investment at the grassroots, noting that the sport is costly to run and sustain.

Seventeen schools in Manchester and St. Elizabeth — the parishes opening the competition — received full sets of new equipment, including helmets, bats, and protective gear. Bent said supplying that kit is essential if grassroots cricket is to grow.

School leaders say the cost of gear has long blocked talented youngsters in rural and inner-city areas. Gregory Bent, principal of Alligator Pond Primary School in southern Manchester, said expense is a major reason cricket has fallen behind, with schools unable to buy equipment or field players.

An administrator at Rose Hall Primary and Infant School in St. Elizabeth also welcomed the timing of the support. Young participants said opportunities like these help them improve as players.

Over the next two years, with $60 million pledged and 120 schools involved, organisers hope the drive marks an early step toward restoring Jamaica’s cricket pipeline.