In making his contribution to the 2011 Budget on Tuesday, Minister Simmons disclosed that government will be meeting with officials of an international company which has expressed an interest “in working with us on a Public/Private Initiative for the refurbishment of the stadium”.

The Minister said, like athletes, coaches and sports administrators, he is also disappointed that they were unable to do any work on the National Stadium.

The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for St Andrew South East, said that Government is on target in its promise to develop a professional sporting nation.

He said that the first area of delivery is in direct investment and development of physical facilities including the lighting of playing fields.

He said that government has installed lighting fixtures at the Alston George Park in Victoria, St Mark, and work has already started on Cuthbert Peters Park, St John and the Victoria Park in Grenville.

He said that despite spending close to half a million dollars by the previous administration for the rehabilitation of the Cuthbert Peters Park Complex “little or nothing was done”.

The Government, he said, have re-furbished and opened the basketball court at the Cuthbert Peters Park in 2010, providing the talented basketball players in the parish and throughout Grenada an opportunity to prepare them for playing at the professional level.