Catherine Hall rebuild bets on year-round fitness and racket sports income

Operators reconstructing the sports grounds at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay intend the site to function as an everyday health and fitness hub, not a venue that only earns money when games are staged. They say that approach is meant to sidestep the cash-flow problems that have hit publicly owned venues, including the National Stadium and Sabina Park.

"This cannot be sustainable without it generating income daily. That is why we have built a development plan that includes an everyday health and wellness destination known as The Hive that provides a space for people to gather, exercise, and play football and racquet sports daily," said Yoni Epstein, who heads Montego Bay Multi-Sports Development Limited (MBMSDL), in a written reply to questions from the Financial Gleaner.

Epstein, who also chairs Jamaica Premier League club Montego Bay United, reported that work on phase one has already started. Grass has been planted on the pitch, a deal for lighting is in place, and the wider construction programme is due to start in September. Organised football is expected back at the complex by October, while futsal and pickleball courts are slated for completion between October and December 2026. Catering outlets, a recovery centre, a gym and a running track are earmarked to open during 2027.

Phase one is put at about $400 million. The overall project is costed at $700 million across three years.

In February, MBMSDL took a 25-year lease from the St James Municipal Corporation for the property once called the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Drawings by Design HQ — the practice that delivered The Pinnacle and is headed by Issia Madden — cast The Hive as a venue for high-performance athletes, recreational users, visitors, business clients and youth programmes. Planned amenities include two FIFA-standard football fields, one of them inside a stadium ringed by a running track; smaller surfaces for futsal and junior players; an Olympic-length swimming pool; pickleball and padel courts; an Express Fitness gym; food and drink outlets; a recovery unit; and a 40-room dormitory for travelling squads.

According to the design papers, the complex would offer "sport, gym, recovery, food, and community under one roof," with programming scheduled throughout the year so income does not depend solely on the tourist high season.

Hurricane Melissa wrecked the earlier facility last year. The new plans cite flood-control measures along the Pye River.