The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THIS week’s exhibition match between Tottenham Hotspur and Jamaica’s ‘Reggae Boyz’ could catapult the Bahamas into soccer’s top global division, with six other English Premier league clubs having made inquiries about participating in a similar event next year.

Jeff Beckles, the Thomas A Robinson Stadium manager, told Tribune Business yesterday that this week’s match was about 50 per cent sold out so far.

He added that preparations for the May 23 match were just about complete, with ticket sales moving steadily.

“Ticket sales continue to move along,” Mr Beckles said. “ We know that in this culture people like to wait for the last minute. We are anticipating over the next two days that the Jamaican population, the Bahamian population and the expatriate community will come and get their tickets.

“We really want to get to 15,000. Right now we are about half-way there, and we feel that over the next few days we can get the rest.” T

The Jamaica-Tottenham Hotspur match, according to Mr Beckles, presents an opportunity for the Bahamas to be showcased as a sports destination, with the event management company, Traffic Sports USA, set to broadcast the game in 30-40 different countries.

“Traffic Sports is going to be broadcasting into 30-40 different countries,” Mr Beckles said.

“Some will be live and others will be tape-delayed based on their region. What we really want Bahamians to do is come out and support the event, so that the Bahamas is seen as a country that’s enthusiastic about sports. That becomes so important for us, especially since we are sending this message to the world.

“I think we are well-positioned to benefit from this. When you think of the global picture, this event is going to create huge opportunities for us. We haven’t even pulled this off yet, and we’ve already had as many of six English Premier league teams contact us about having the ability to do the same thing next year. I think that bodes very well for us.”