Herman Longsworth gives a facelift to Berger Field

Vernon Street’s Berger Field, which is known as the home of many sterling football players, is about to be upgraded with funding from various sources after years of neglect.  The Belize Water Services is the first to make a contribution for works to be done on the playing field as well as for the construction of a perimeter fence. The Deputy Minister of Sports accepted the contribution earlier today. News Five’s Delahnie Bain reports.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

The Berger Field on Vernon Street will undergo a major facelift after years of deterioration. It’s a project being undertaken by the Albert Division Area Representative, Herman Longsworth, and ground was broken this afternoon for the start of the work.

Herman Longsworth, Area Representative, Albert Division

Herman Longsworth

“This field, Berger Field, has created, has grown, has developed some of the best football players this country has seen and it has gone almost to nothing. My intention is to make it the star football field of Belize City, outside of the ones that the National Sports Council currently own. But certainly, in terms of a community field, I want this to be what everybody will aspire to have. We intend to properly fence the perimeter of the field, we intend to raise and drain the field properly and grass it or hopefully, maybe even turf it, which might be the better way to go. I want to build a club house of sorts but most of all what I want to do and this is important, I want to create a monument of sorts that will honor every single football player that has come out of this field.”

The estimated cost of the job is around two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and the Belize Water Services handed over thirty thousand today. That’s the first portion of a donation of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Herman Longsworth

“I am absolutely, absolutely appreciative that the Belize Water Services has seen it fit to find, especially at a time when they themselves are going through some major financial restraints, the resources to assist with this project. We don’t currently have all the funds to do what we want to do, but I am absolutely sure that with the input that BWS is putting in, that the business community—the rest of the business community will see fit to pitch in the little difference that we need to complete the project.”

Alberto August

Alberto August, Chairman, Belize Water Services

“It is indeed a pleasure for BWS to be teaming up with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the project to develop this facility and the Albert Constituency. We hear the term one hundred and fifty thousand dollars being a lot of money, but quite frankly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars spent on the welfare of our children dah lee bit ah money. But we are happy to, like I said, to team up with Minister Longsworth in the first phase of this project.”

Herman Longsworth

“I need to say for the record that to date not a single cent has been committed out of government resources. This is entirely a private sector and area representative initiative. Where the government may pitch in and where the Sports Council may pitch in is for the continued maintenance of the facility. So that is where we may commit the government.”

Longsworth says that once the field is complete, he hopes the Football Federation of Belize will take charge of the programs being facilitated there.

Herman Longsworth

“We are in discussion and I am hopeful that we can come to an agreement where the F.F.B. will pretty much take charge of what goes on here and develop the structure that I have spoken of. I am certain that we can come to an agreement on that. And we then pass it over to the people who know about football because I know nothing about football and we don’t want to do the usual political dance. We don’t want that, we want this to work.”

Alberto August

“It is like we all know dehn seh dat the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Today we are taking the first step in regards to fixing the Berger Field so that you all and the people living in the community can enjoy improved facilities because we all hear that sports is a means of keeping our children and our young people out of crime and violence.”

The area rep is also asking the community to be patients while the works are underway since certain inconveniences will be inevitable.

Herman Longsworth

“We will have to come in, we will have to bring machinery because the field isn’t level so we will have to cut and level the field properly so it might be—the field may be out of commission for a bit. We will try as best as possible to minimize the time that the field is out of commission but we will have to take it out of commission. And if we must grass it, if we must grass it we will be completely dependent on you guys who will end up using it, to protect it for us until the grass is properly grown.”

The remainder of the BWS contribution will be disbursed when they are confident that the first portion has been properly spent. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

The field, according to Longsworth, should be completed within the first quarter of 2013. He also noted that all works will be done by residents of the neighborhood, creating jobs just in time for Christmas.