Spaulding Complex $50m upgrade almost complete
Published:Saturday | September 27, 2025 | 12:10 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
When the more than $50 million refurbishing of the Arnett Gardens home stadium is completed at the end of this month, the facility will be rebranded the Wray and Nephew Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
League sponsors Wray and Nephew are funding the project, and Simone Foster, the company’s brand experience manager, said it is all part of their bigger ‘spirit of football’ campaign.
“These are our key projects. We announced from last year that we would be supporting infrastructural development of two stadiums, Arnett’s and Portmore’s Ferdi Neita Park. So they both will be renamed the Wray and Nephew Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex and the Wray and Nephew Ferdi Neita Park,” she told The Gleaner.
The Arnett Gardens home stadium is considered the best and is arguably the busiest of all the JPL clubs home grounds.
However, the former champions have not hosted a JPL game since the start of the season due to the upgrades taking place at the complex.
Cost savings
General Manager Peter Thelwell said the work on the stadium is expected to be completed by end of the month, and the upgrades, which include the installation of a solar panel grid, will significantly reduce the monthly expenditure of the club.
Thelwell said the solar upgrade, which is valued at $45 million, will serve dual purposes as the new shed that will be placed over the VIP stands will also host the solar panels, which will generate enough electricity to run the entire facility.
“Specifically, the lights and the pump at the well are the greatest users of electricity, and we have to find a way to minimise our electricity usage.
“Our electricity bill is usually between $500,000 and $700,000 per month, depending on usage. So we hope to reduce it significantly by more than 50 per cent,” he said.
“You have the well pump. That uses as much power as the lights. It is used to water the field, water the school (Charlie Smith) field, gives water to the schools for bathroom and other usage.
“So the pump is significant, and we have to keep it going, but it was becoming a strain to keep the pump going and the floodlights as well,” Thelwell said.
The upgrades also include improving the playing surface and repainting the facility. Thelwell said they spent most of the summer upgrading the grass on the playing surface.
“The field was bumpy. We didn’t get to sand it the past two seasons mainly because of usage and demand because a lot of the other fields were not up and running. We had a lot of double-headers, and the field didn’t get the rest it should, and we couldn’t do the work we normally do over the summer, and the field was overrun by bad grass, and that led to the bumpiness,” Thelwell stated.
He noted also that the half-line will be adjusted slightly so it is in line with the pathway to the changing rooms.
“We will also be painting the facility,” Thelwell said.
Painting, which will start in about a week, will include the stands, general areas, and light towers. He added that the five-year agreement with Wray and Nephew also includes refurbishing the bar and the gym.
“This is part of the upgrade, and the next stage will involve the bar and the gym in January, and we want to get those back up and open to the public.”