Caledonia ready for Beetham move.
Are you comfortable being in Beetham Gardens, say at 11 o'clock at night, after seeing your favourite T&T Pro League team play a game against Caledonia AIA of Morvant-Laventille?
Well, it is a question fans of Pro League football may have to personally answer if Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Roberts follows through with recent announcements to build a community-type stadium for Caledonia AIA.
The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs has targeted the open field between Servol and the Government-built houses at Beetham Gardens to build a community-based stadium. Roberts promised that work would start in four months.
"As people who have gotten nothing for so long, we are holding onto this promise with high expectation," said Caledonia AIA coach Jamaal Shabazz.
"This demonstrates a lot of initiative on the part of the Minister of Sport, who is seeking to bring some development to a community that has had very little of anything over the years."
A move to Beetham Gardens brings with it concerns over safety for fans, since the area has over the years been associated with gang warfare and crime, resulting in several unsolved murders.
Another of the real concerns is the laying down of border lines in the community by area gangs, who have restricted rivals and others from entering their district.
"Anywhere in the Morvant-Laventille area would be welcomed by us," Shabazz said. "This is what has been offered and for now that is what we are concentrating on."
So, why not develop the larger Morvant recreation ground? Previously both Caledonia AIA and Malick Senior Comprehensive have attempted to use the Morvant ground, a larger field located in a relatively safer area.
The problems with Morvant had mainly to do with neither team having the funds to fix the surface.
At first glance, the Beetham site does not seem big enough for a full field and stadium. However, Shabazz and Caledonia officials are planning to tour the area to determine if it can hold such a facility.
"Step one is to make sure it can house a full-sized football field. If not, we will have to look elsewhere. Step two is to gather all the warring factions and let them know that Caledonia AIA is a different kind of gang.
We are about togetherness in Morvant-Laventille and will be using this facility to bring an end to this foolishness about borderlines that exists today. Our youths have to be able to go to any part of the community."
Shabazz also feels that the stadium will aid the continued development of Caledonia AIA, which was founded in 1979 as an East Zone team.
In 2008, Caledonia AIA picked up their first major piece of silverware in the FA Trophy and Digicel Pro Bowl.
They then had a best-ever finish when second to Defence Force in the 2010-2011 Digicel Pro League.
Caledonia AIA also qualified for Caribbean competition for the first time this year and performed credibly in the CFU Club Championship before going out to Haitian champions Tempete FC on penalty kicks.
After blowing past St Kitts champs Newtown United 7-0 on aggregate in the first round, Caledonia AIA lost their second round home game 1-0 to Tempete when conceding a fifth minute goal.
However, they travelled to Haiti to get an early goal via midfielder Aaron Armstrong in the sixth minute to win 1-0 and level the scores at 1-1 on aggregate.
The game went to extra-time then penalty kicks, where AIA missed three kicks and lost 3-2 on penalties.
"It was the toughest game we ever played and everyone did their best. Their ground was full...10,000 maximum, and with the usual intimidation. We won the away game 1-0 which sent the tie into extra-time.
I think we did not hold our nerve when it came to the penalty kicks because we missed three, but it was a very good experience for our boys to play such a game under those pressures," said Shabazz.