Photo: Rogers Stadium Club Awards
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 16, 2023
On Sunday evening, a banquet was held at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina to honor seven pivotal contributors to the Rogers Stadium, Physical, Cultural, Sporting Club.
Originally established over 40 years ago by visionary Kenneth Churchill Sutherland, known to sports fans as “Powder,” the club’s primary mission was to guide youths off the streets, helping them establish life goals while integrating basketball and other sports into their routine.
Sutherland recounted how his transformative visit to the 1968 Mexico Olympics, paired with the sight of local youths aimlessly lingering around, sparked the idea for the club.
“I observe a lot of things, seeing how things are organized sports-wise. I went by the Rogers Stadium and I noticed that a lot of the kids were just idling or running or not doing anything. So, I told them, ‘Let’s get together and put some of this energy to good work. We could build a stadium and do a little basketball, football, and whatnot,’ and that is where we started,” reflected Sutherland.
The 80-year-old, a former Holy Saturday Cross Country champion (1966), participated in various sports throughout his life. He candidly discussed the challenges Belizean sports face, as he himself has experienced. “In Belize, you have to be careful in sports; it doesn’t pay, you know. In sports, what you put in is what you get out. If you want to be good, you have to put in a lot of effort, and a lot of work,” he explained.
Due to financial constraints, Sutherland eventually handed over the club’s management reins. Still, in a tribute to his relentless dedication, the awards which were presented at the banquet bore his name, and he had the privilege of presenting them.
“It makes me feel great, and when I get in there, some of the things that I heard the people, the boys are saying—‘If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have been here now having this,’ and that makes me feel good. Some of the things that they said, I didn’t realize that they were noticing what I was doing,” he remarked.
The family and friends of seven club superstars were hosted at the biennial event.
Max Gentle, the club’s president, stated, “The objective is to honor those who laid the foundation. Even though they are not necessarily Rogers Stadium alumni, we have to honor them, because in some way, shape or form, they contributed to the upliftment of the youths in the streets in Belize.”
The esteemed awardees were Joseph “Syki” Westby, Charles “Teddy” Meighan, Daniel “Danny” Meighan, Brenda “BJ” Johnson, Patricia “Pat” Bennett, Raymond “Ray” Davis, and Eric Neal. Unfortunately, Patricia and Danny are deceased, so their families accepted the honors on their behalf.
Gentle noted, “Every year, we aim to incrementally introduce new events to reignite enthusiasm among the youth.”
The club’s legacy is evident, having nurtured notable talents such as the Meighan brothers, Charles Goff, and Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn, among many others.