World Cup profits boost debt-ridden Windies board

Ken Gordon: 'The profit from the event ....... augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket.' © Trinidad & Tobago Express

The debt-ridden West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is expected to move out of the red thanks to profits from this year's Caribbean World Cup.

The additional money will provide a boost to the game's development, according to Ken Gordon, WICB's outgoing president. "The profit from the event will eliminate the deficit of the WICB and this augurs well for the future of West Indies cricket."

Gordon said that ticket sales from this year's tournament 2007 World Cup were the highest yet seen. "We sold more tickets [672,000] than the last two World Cups in South Africa [625,000] and England [476,000] and garnered $32 million in ticket revenue which the ICC [International Cricket Council] has told us is the highest gate ever."

Gordon praised the organisers, though admitted that lessons were learnt and unanticipated events provided an extra challenge. The organisers have been heavily criticised, with many suggesting the tournament was the worst ever. Local fans were displeased with the high ticket prices and touring fans surprised by steep lodging costs across the islands. The tournament also suffered an early setback with Bob Woolmer's death, the exits of India and Pakistan before the Super Eight stage and a farcical finish to the final.

"The fact that we were able to effectively deal with the challenges is a credit to the excellent work and high quality of the management team. The staging of the Cricket World Cup was an experience we all take great pride in.

"The directors are very satisfied with the overall results of the tournament. First and foremost is the fact that the region was able to deliver on its host agreement, satisfying all the important deliverables of this major undertaking.

"This was always going to be challenging given the number of countries involved, the lack of infrastructure at the time when the region committed to the project and the relatively small size of our economies. But despite all this, the West Indies got the job done."

Gordon also suggested that the World Cup was a boon for sports infrastructure in the region. "Thanks to our governments, we now have 12 world-class cricket stadiums and 22 practice facilities for the further development of West Indies cricket - built on time and to specification.

"Over 4300 volunteers and 3000 event security personnel were trained and deployed and we now have a cadre of over 500 West Indians trained and experienced in world games event management."