The Bonne Terre community and local basketball fans gathered last weekend for the grand reopening of the Bonne Terre Recreational Park, which the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation says will now host league games. The event featured music, exhibition games and food. Member of Parliament for Gros Islet, Kenson Casimir, officially unveiled the new-look complex.
A popular spot for recreational basketball players over the past few decades, the Bonne Terre court was once just a strip of concrete with hoops at either end. In recent years, lights were added. Now, though, the facility has seating, parking, toilets, changing rooms, and a children’s play area with lunch tables, vastly increasing its utility. The refurbishment is estimated to have cost over $700,000.
“This court has been there for probably 30 years, and I’ve been playing there for about 25 years myself,” explained Fabian Florton of the Bonne Terre Blazers basketball club. “We were looking for an area so that we could train the youths, have a programme for the youth, and we needed a better facility for them. So we approached the minister, put a design together, and the rest is history.
“There was so much land space we didn’t even recognise until we started cutting, clearing out the bush. At present, that’s the best court on the island. So, I’m hoping, and I expect the federation to approach us so that we could use this court for games in the future.”
Glen Guiste, president of the SLBF, agreed with Florton. “I am kind of in awe, really,” said Guiste about the Bonne Terre upgrades. “I pray that we could get a few more of those around the island because this definitely stands out as a model for facilities around the island.
“First and foremost, I’m hoping that the Bonne Terre club takes advantage of this facility in terms of getting their grassroots development going. One of the mandates, one of the pillars of the strategic plan, is to get more grassroots development going. And a facility like this is really conducive. It really is apt for grassroots development as well as league games. I see Bonne Terre hosting some of their home games here, and you know how important home advantage is in sports.”
Before his current role, Guiste was a national player, coach, and club administrator, and he has always focused on youth development. He especially noticed one feature of the new venue that could help grow the game in the northern community.
“The changing room,” he said. “For me, it is very important, because if you’re going to develop the game, both male and female, especially the female, you need safe spaces, safe facilities. Like I said, I really pray that we get that standard across the island, that’s the standard to go by now.”
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