StJMC making moves to restore Montego Bay Sports Complex

When Hurricane Melissa ravaged sections of the western region, the Montego Bay Sports Complex was severely compromised, forcing officials to rule it out for the remainder of the Jamaica Premier League. Attention has now shifted toward long-term recovery, with plans under way to restore the complex in time for the 2026-27 football season.

The setback is a major blow for the once-vibrant venue, which has now been left scarred and unplayable.

According to Richard Vernon, chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation Council (StJMC), the field will need to be extensively rehabilitated before it can host matches again.

"It is unfortunate that we lost the football field. It was completely destroyed so we have to rebuild a new one. We actually rebuilt it in 2024 to the tune of $7 million. I am happy that it is just a field that we have to repair and we did not sustain injury or damage to a person or loss of lives," said Vernon.

The chairman stated that with the surface destroyed, its future is on hold, despite being insured and undergoing repairs.

"It is something that we can rehabilitate and therefore we're going to do so. We can continue to facilitate football in Montego Bay and ensure that we position ourselves as the leaders in western Jamaica for football," Vernon added, stating that the municipality is in the process of doing a clean-up and further assessment is ongoing.

With the playing field and running track completely destroyed, other sections, including the seating areas and car parks, sustained significant damage.

The once pristine home of Montego Bay United Football Club (MBUFC) is now stacked with debris, roaming livestock and thick vegetation, with trees beginning to take root on the playing field.

The stadium, which bears the scars of Hurricane Melissa, has rendered the venue unrecognisable, casting a shadow over the future of sports activities once centred at Catherine Hall.

With the stadium out of use, MBUFC has been forced to relocate to the iconic Jarrett Park.

The running track inside the stadium has deteriorated tremendously over the past few years, and was taken out of service over fear that continued use could result in athletes suffering serious injuries.

According to Vernon, work is also being done on the track.

"We started some work on the track, we skimmed it. The track will not be available for Western champs. We are mindful of it and that is why we went ahead to pursue innovative ways to have the stadium be able to facilitate the sporting event," said Vernon.

Since 2018, it has not been used for track and field and it has had negative effects on the region's track and field athletes, with many having to travel as far as St Catherine for major meets.

The 7,000-capacity stadium was developed at a cost of US$14.9 million and opened in June 2010.