JCA loses $5m
Published:Tuesday | April 28, 2020 | 12:21 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven said the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) lost more than $5 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is because restrictions on mass gatherings put in place by the Government to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus have forced a suspension, postponement and cancellation of local sporting activities, some of which would have taken place at Sabina Park, where the JCA earns a significant portion of its revenue.
Heaven told The Gleaner that the JCA is now seeking to find ways to recoup this shortfall in income since March, when the first local case of the virus was detected.
“Where we had income-generating activities, the JCA will be impacted by those income-generating activities, because they would be bringing in money into our coffers,” Heaven said.
“We would have earned money from Champs (ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships) because the facility would be used for accommodation, so we would have lost funds from that activity [not happening].
“I would say that we are losing about $4 million to $5 million because we should have had a series at Sabina Park involving South Africa and we would gain from having that match being played here. We have also lost on other activities that we would rent the facility for.”
Heaven said the JCA will be implementing a number of measures to recover some of the money lost during the pandemic.
“We have our gym and we are losing income on that, so we are going to promote what we have now in a more aggressive way,” he said.
“The truth is that those activities will be better after COVID-19 because people are now locked away in their homes and they are going to want something more to do as they may not be as active as they used to be during the pandemic. A healthy lifestyle may just emerge as a big issue and certainly the gym will be a big part of that after COVID-19.”
LESS SPENDING
But Heaven said one positive to take from all cricketing activities now being on hold is that the JCA is spending little at the moment.
“We have cost savings based on the fact that some of the activities that would have been a cost to us, we are not incurring those costs,” he said. “The activities are not taking place at this time, so in that sense, we also have some savings,” he said.
“The truth is when you look at some activities in cricket, there is not an income-generating activity that brings home money, so the point is that the income stream is less than the expenditure associated with that activity, in which case it is a net gain for the organisation.”