Major sporting events are now as popular and impactful as ever.
Unlike maybe a decade ago where a fan’s opportunity to experience a mega event such as World Cup football, the Olympics or Premier League football would have been limited to Live television if you couldn’t afford to travel to the host city, anyone can now feel a closer part of the event through social media, live streaming, downloadable apps, you name it. And then there are occasions when mega events are coming directly to your home community.
Apart from the 2007 Cricket World Cup played in the Caribbean, the emergence of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket is now the biggest sporting event in the region in terms of fan participation, reach and coverage. While past Shell Caribbean Cups, FIFA Youth World Cups in T&T and even rare Athletic Championship have been an attraction, none have had the kind of consistent impact such as the CPL.
World Cup qualifying football matches are major but occur only once every four years and the big matches take place in maybe three countries in the region. CPL is annually and the interest is growing every year. Major sporting events’ such as the CPL may bring a major number of short-term and long-term economic benefits to the hosting area.
The economic impact is difficult to predict but its benefits may follow from investment and sponsorship, tourism, telecommunications etc. The reason for this is the fame of ‘mega sports events’, as it involves foreign investors, tourists, mass media, and communication organisations. It is generally known that investment plays a major role in the economic growth of the local area.
So apart from all the emotional benefits patrons would have experienced over the two matches played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, surely there must have been some benefits for residing businesses and establishments. It happens in the bigger cities that host major events on a global scale and this is where we have to start seeing ourselves.
What about the benefits there would have been for places such as Gasparillo, Chaguanas, Marabella, Princes Town, San Fernando and environs. They are all within a ten to 25 kilometre distance away from the Brian Lara venue.
Patrons flocked to the Southern Edge Lounge in La Romain on both match days either to prime up before heading to the game, being part of the viewing party or for the after-lime. According to the manager of Southern edge, Carlos Sookoo, “The impact of these two games at the Academy was tremendous for us at Southern Edge. We saw a lot of new faces coming to the establishment and our numbers were more than usual especially on the Sunday which is normally a quiet day. We had maybe a 300 per cent increase in traffic and whereby we would usually close by 1 am, we were opened until 3 am.
“We would definitely welcome more of these type of events in the southern part of the country because we were able to see benefits that are more than just someone going to a T20 match and having a good time only at the venue.”
The Hangers bar, just three minutes drive east of the stadium was a prime spot following TKR's final night victory.
Vidya from Vidya’s Doubles stand on the corner of RBC and Marabella market said she found persons coming to her spot before going to the matches. From her location, you could hear the sounds emanating from the Tarouba venue.
“A lot of people were coming here for doubles before going over to the venue for the cricket. You can sense something is happening because there is a buzz in the area. And we operate two shifts so people are able to get their doubles even after the games because a lot of them are travelling also. With the closure of Petrotrin now, we don’t know what the situation will be because a lot of my customers are people working at the refinery, so anytime there are events at the cricket stadium or the one right up the road, (Manny Ramjohn Stadium) it’s a big help for vendors like me,” she said.
Of course, she understands major events will not take place every week or month.
A significant benefit of major events at venues like the Lara Academy is the long-term investment which comes from preparing for a major event. The community and by extension the country will have a legacy of improved sporting venues and can lead to a lasting legacy for residents and can play a role in lifting depressed communities. We must note though that while there may be an increase in spending and injection of money into the local economy, this will only be short-term (a few weeks) and make little overall impact on the wider economy.
“I’m still willing to take this because it’s still something more for us to look forward to and I think it helps to raise the spirit of a lot of people,” Vidya said.
While in the past, countries would compete for the bragging rights and pay little attention to economic rationality or infrastructure legacy, when it comes to major events, the countries that can most easily justify the risk are those with the most to gain on the world stage, rather than those with the deepest pockets. For instance, Russia and Qatar do not need to turn a profit but they do want a stronger voice in global affairs.
For developing economies, major-event hosting is motivated by globalisation and soft power. For T&T, while there will be some obstacles along the way. This can be an exceptional opportunity to devise a new brand identity for both the local citizenry and global audience.