by EZRA STUART

THE NEW AIRPORT football field remains in a deplorable condition and is not conducive to playing soccer.

Angry Christ Church Football League (CCFL) committee members made the charge at a Press conference Monday.

They made it clear they wanted the field finished so they could take their competition to the Charnocks venue after experiencing problems over the use of the Parish Land playing field.

But former FIFA referee and long-serving CCFL committee member Frederick Hoyte said there was another drawback, as the ground has not been properly graded.

"People are doing jobs about which they seem to have very little idea as to what is required for a proper football field. As a result, the ground in its present state constitutes a danger to players and officials and also to spectators," Hoyte said.

"The ground is in bad condition because of the way it was laid out. It seems as though people go and just cut grass, mould it, roll it, but don't consult those who are going to use it in the absence of a person who is trained in the preparation of playing fields and so forth," he added.

"Not having proper facilities to play games, you are depriving young people who are not organised in a discipline from using their time in good, healthy activities," he noted.

Whereas footballers have not been able to use their new field, cricketers from the Charnocks and Airfields Cavaliers teams have been playing on the adjoining ground in the Barbados Cricket League competitions for the past two years.

CCFL secretary Alston Williams said Minister
of Sports Reginald Farley promised him over two years ago at the league's awards ceremony that he would get the field ready.

"Mr Farley has given me his word, two years ago at Caribbee Hotel, that he is Minister of Sports now and that he is going to get the playing field finished and up to now, it is still not ready," Williams said.

Displaying a newspaper article from December 23, 2003, Williams said the league members were told the field would have been ready by September 2002 but no work was done on it.

"That ground is in a mess. It is not properly graded and one side is too high," Williams lamented.

He said the National Sports Council should push away the mould on the high side and level the field so that football could be played.

The league is expected to have a meeting today with Farley, who is also parliamentary representative for Christ Church East.

ezrastuart@nationnews.com