Work begins February on new running track at G C Foster College

Thursday, January 15, 2015 | 4:53 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Work is set to begin next month on a new running track for the G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in St Catherine.

General Manager of the Sports Development Foundation (SDF), Denzil Wilks made the disclosure recently.

“We are now finalising the contract and we are expected to begin work by mid- February,” he said.

The SDF head also informed that the new track, which has been contracted to the German company Berleburger Schaumstoffwerk, will cost some $168 million and should be completed by early May.

He explained that the contract will involve construction of a protective base.

“The base that is laid and for which the track will be placed is absolutely critical and that is dependent on the nature of the surface. In the case of G C Foster, what you have is a clay surface that tends to expand when wet and contract when dry, and so you cannot have a track, which is laid on a base that will do that, hence a protective base will have to be built to protect the track,” he outlined.

Work will also include the installation of a drainage system as well as surface conditioning.

The new track is set to receive Level II International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) certification when completed.

 “We expect that it (the track) will give us excellent service for a minimum of

10 years,” Wilks said.

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Work begins February on new running track at G C Foster College

Guinness Street Football to kick off in February

Saturday, January 10, 2015 | 4:18 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s best street footballers are expected to heed the call to battle when the Guinness Street Football Challenge kicks off in February 2015. Teams from across the country will vie for the chance to become national champions and represent the country at the regional finals to be held in Jamaica in June.

Teams will play on a knock-out basis until a parish champion is crowned. From there the respective parish champions will face each other on the weekend of June 13 to determine which will emerge national champions.

Jamaica’s champion team will pit its skills against the Caribbean’s best teams in the Regional Finals set to take place on the weekend of June 20 at a venue to be announced. In last year’s tournament held in Trinidad, teams battled for a winner’s prize of US$4,000 cash and bragging rights. “This is the premier street football tournament of the Caribbean and in true Guinness style our consumers who are Made of More strive to be more than spectators, they live to play the game. They play for the pride of their community, the pride of their country, the pride of the Caribbean,” said Andrew Anguin, Acting Brand Manager at Guinness.

The Guinness Street Football Challenge is in its fourth year but will be played in Jamaica for the very first time. Jamaica’s champion team will face about nine other opponents from other Caribbean nations including Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Antigua/Barbuda, St. Kitts, Dominica and newcomers Haiti.

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Guinness Street Football to kick off in February