THE Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), home to many disciplines including basketball and futsal, is undergoing major enhancement works with the aim of ensuring that one of the oldest sporting facilities in the country doesn’t look its age.
The Homestretch Avenue-based multi-purpose venue is the current focus of the Ministry of Education’s Department of Sport/National Sport Commission – the body behind restoring the ‘games house’ as it is known to some.
Sport Director Chris Jones, in an invited comment to Chronicle Sport said, “Essentially, it ranges from the exterior of the building, pressure-washing and cleaning it; we’ll do some repairs and repainting of it; perhaps the colour will change.”
He said that on the inside they are looking to reopen the original entrance and exit. The entrance was on the eastern side, and the exit was on the western side. This move will restrict persons from entering where they currently do because they have to walk on the basketball court.
Jones said that emphasis is being placed on the fact that the Sport Hall is a national space hence a huge national flag will be hung there. Subsequent to that the entire eastern section of the roof will be replaced because it is leaking.”
According to Jones, the re-opening of the very important persons (VIP) space upstairs of the Sports Hall will also be done to ensure that diplomats and other invited guests can have a vantage point to view various sports.
The portrait of Cliff Anderson with a brief write-up in terms of who he was and what he has done will be placed in a prominent position for anyone who is entering the Sports Hall to see. Several sport personalities in the various disciplines will also be displayed.
He said, “The other thing that we are looking at is providing more external fans because we know that the place gets really heated in there, but we are still consulting on that, as to what could be done to make that space much more comfortable.”
The facility was opened in the 1970s.
CASH can be used for training and competition purposes in basketball, table tennis, hockey, boxing, netball, martial arts, volleyball, badminton, weightlifting, cultural and religious activities are also conducted at these venues.
It also has a seating capacity of 2 000, a Fitness Gym and a Resource Centre.

By Stephan Sookram