by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 20, 2022

In an interview with Amandala earlier this week, the president of Rugby Belize, Tony Gillings, said that all he wants is support from the government to convert space at the Marion Jones Stadium into a multipurpose area for the four rugby teams that have been formed in Belize since 2016 to carry out their training.

“I know what I want from the government. I want support. We have a Marion Jones Stadium which has taken them 17 years to build, and it’s still not finished. In the middle of the track, there is an empty space with the size of a soccer field, and I’m really pushing to have that converted into a multipurpose sports surface so we can play rugby and football…. So that’s what I’m asking for, and three years ago I proposed that idea to the then Sports Council, and I got nothing. No response and not even an acknowledgment. Now with a new government, and a new sports minister who seems to be more interested in and encouraging sports, I’m pushing for that again, because otherwise, that’s a wasted facility,” said Gillings.

In an interview with KREM News this week, Minister of Sports, Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, said that it is likely that a rugby pitch will indeed be built in the stadium, and he highlighted his goal to bring other sports into the country.

While the rugby team may not have a pitch on which to practice as yet, they have nonetheless been able to form Belize’s first Rugby National Team. Recently, the team traveled to a 7-game mini-tournament in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Although they won only one game, Director of Rugby Belize, Daniel Nicolle said it was the first tournament in over 12 months

“I’m very proud of the boys. It’s the first tournament that they played in over 12 months, and so we train once a week as a national team. It showed in the first game. We weren’t gelling as a team, and in rugby, you need all individuals to be together as a team, but they won the last game, and we won confidently. They gelled together as a team, the communication increased, and there was a bit of work that we need to do which included fitness and communication,” Nicolle said.

Notably, the four rugby teams in the country were formed in Hopkins, Belmopan, Orange Walk, and Belize City, and a team is currently being formed in San Pedro.