FOR decades, the county of Berbice has been the heartbeat of Guyanese cricket, a fertile breeding ground that has consistently funnelled elite talent into the West Indies setup.
Yet, for all its history, the region has lacked a modern stage. That is about to change.
Before the end of 2026, the 10,000-seat Palmyra Multipurpose Facility is expected to open its gates, a project that former West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo describes as a literal “game-changer” for a region obsessed with the willow and the red leather ball.

“In my lifetime, I never thought we would have this in Berbice,” Bishoo said during a recent site inspection. Joining him to assess the progress were fellow international stars Veerasammy Permaul and Assad Fudadin—men who grew up playing on local grounds and are now witnessing the birth of an ICC-standard arena in their own backyard.
The Palmyra stadium is the crown jewel of a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure blitz. Minister Steven Jacobs, himself a former national cricketer, noted that the facility is just one piece of a broader “sporting ecosystem” intended to bridge the gap between grassroots potential and international performance.
“In my time, we didn’t have these facilities,” Jacobs remarked. “This will transform the community. Now is the best time to be an athlete because you are getting direct support from the government.”
The strategy includes a new high-performance cricket academy at the historic Albion Sports Complex, ensuring that the next generation of Berbician talent has a direct pathway to the 10,000-seat stadium just down the road.
Financed in part by a $3.7 billion (GYD) investment via ExxonMobil’s ‘Greater Guyana’ initiative, the stadium is part of a wider economic pivot.
Government officials are linking the sports facility to a series of massive infrastructure projects, including a new deep-water port, a municipal airport, and a new bridge over the Berbice River—collectively dubbed the ‘Orange Economy.’
However, for local residents, economics takes a back seat to emotion. “No one would have imagined we would have had a stadium,” said Member of Parliament Zamal Hussain. “Now we see the reality.”
Similar world-class venues are currently under construction in Anna Regina, Bayroc, New Amsterdam, and Mackenzie, all slated for commissioning in 2026.
As Jacobs noted, the next hurdle is scaling up regional accommodation to support the influx of fans and international touring squads.