Renovation of La Digue sports complex |19 April 2023

Some of the features of the La Digue sports complex (Photos: Olivier Nibourette)

Home matches will be back on La Digue in September

As from next season, La Digue-based teams will resume playing their home matches at the l’Union football field, following a lease agreement between the Seychelles government through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family and the Seychelles Football Federation which will renovate the venue, bringing it to the required standard as per the norm of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Sports Minister Marie-Celine Zialor made the statement before the National Assembly yesterday, answering the question of member of the National Assembly (MNA) for La Digue Rocky Uranie, regarding the government’s renovation plan for the La Digue sports complex.

Inaugurated on June 21, 1997 by former President France Albert René, the facility has, in one way or another, messed up, needing urgent attention, in terms of renovation work.

Mr Uranie noted that, other than for training purpose, the field is also being shared with cricket, while the La Digue-based teams have to play all their home matches on Praslin, which is not fair, and also a major disadvantage.

According to director general strategic human resources within the youth and sports department Gyra Nibourette, who was part of the ministerial delegation before the National Assembly, renovation work, precisely on the football field, is expected to be completed in September, in time for the new football season.

She said most of the renovation work will be done during the off-season period, allowing sufficient time for successful completion.

Minister Zialor acknowledged that the facilities at the complex are not in a very good state, and while renovation work on the roof has been completed, the next phase is to sort out the dormitories, along with other features of the complex.

Regarding the delay in renovation work, despite the availability of allocated budget, Ms Nibourette explained that the lowest bid received from the contractors was too high, forcing them to postpone the process, while the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency (SIA) is now doing selective bidding to identify a contractor.

She further noted that renovation work, including fencing is also expected to be carried out on the multi-purpose court and the tennis court.

As for the football field, principal secretary for youth and sports Ralph Jean-Louis explained that as per the agreement with the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF), the renovation work on the football field will be carried out in two phases, the first phase involving removal of the existing grass layer, or surface, and replace it with a new layer of grass, along with new goal posts, substitute benches and lighting system.

The second phase will include extending the cover over the sitting facilities, along with two new offices.

Roland Duval