Location | San Pedro Town, Belize |
---|---|
Capacity | 1,500 |
Surface | artificial turf |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 18, 2015 |
Opened | May 21, 2017 |
Construction cost | $2.3mil BZD |
General contractor | AM Construction Co, Ltd. |
Tenants | |
San Pedro Pirates FC Belize national team (Select Matches) |
Ambergris Stadium is a 1,500-seat association football stadium in San Pedro Town, Belize which meets FIFA international standards. It is the home stadium of San Pedro Pirates FC of the Premier League of Belize [1] [2]
By July 2014, the former Ambergris Stadium was in a state of disrepair and unusable despite a multi-million dollar investment. The surface was uneven and prone to flooding. Local authorities began planning for a redevelopment of the site with the design phase expected to be complete by October 2014 with the goal of making it Ambergris Caye's top sporting venue. The objective was to create the facility with a particular emphasis on football. Renovation work was expected by begin by January 2015. [3] The former structure was completely demolished and construction of the new 800-seat, $2.3mil BZD stadium commenced on September 18, 2015 with the construction contract awarded to AM Construction Co, Ltd. of Orange Walk District. [4] [5]
By November 2016, the stadium was expected to be complete by the end of the month or first week of December. Initially, an inauguration ceremony was planned for September 2016. However, the project suffered setbacks pertaining to lighting installation. The project was also delayed because of the decision to install an artificial turf surface which required filling, grading, trenching, and installing the underground drainage system. The synthetic surface would prevent flooding of the pitch during the rainy season. The inauguration ceremony was set for November 26, 2016 and was expected to feature San Pedro Pirates FC taking on UPSL club Real Chutemoc F.C. from Austin, Texas. [6]
Completion was eventually delayed again with the inauguration ceremony finally held on May 21, 2017. Despite delays, the project finished on budget. The final design featured synthetic turf, stage lighting, VIP area/media booth, bleachers to accommodate 1,500 people, concession stands, and locker room and bathroom facilities. The final program for the rescheduled inauguration featured football matches, but the team from the United States did not participate. The biggest match of the day saw San Pedro Pirates FC draw with fellow Premier League club Police United 2–2. [7]
On August 4, 2018 the stadium hosted the Belize national football team in an international friendly against Barbados in preparation for 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying. [8] Belize won 1–0 with the match's only goal scored by Krisean Lopez in the 79th minute. [9]
San Pedro is a town on the southern part of the island of Ambergris Caye in the Belize District of the nation of Belize, in Central America. According to the 2015 mid-year estimates, the town has a population of about 16,444. It is the second-largest town in the Belize District and largest in the Belize Rural South constituency. The once sleepy fishing village was granted the status of a town in 1984.
Ambergris Caye, is the largest island of Belize, located northeast of the country's mainland, in the Caribbean Sea. It is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) long from north to south, and about 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) wide. Many parts of the island have been modified by human development since the arrival of coconut plantations in the 17th century, but it remains largely white coral sand with mangrove forest at its center. Its eastern coast runs parallel to the northernmost stretch of the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a marine reserve close to Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, off the coast of Belize. It covers approximately 18 km² (4,448 acres) of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forest. Hol Chan is Mayan for "little channel".
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Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve (BCNPMR) is a protected area and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the northern part of Ambergris Caye in Belize.
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The El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro is a 150-year-old traditional festival from Mestizo culture, which brought it down to northern Belize, San Pedro and Ambergris Caye. El Gran Carnaval is celebrated to begin the lent season.
San Pedro Pirates Football Club is a Belizean football team that competes in the Premier League of Belize (PLB). The team is based in San Pedro Town and plays home matches at Ambergris Stadium.
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Glenn Derick Godfrey S.C. is a Belizean politician, jurist and writer. He served as the Attorney General and Ministers of Tourism and Environment under prime minister George Cadle Price between 1989 and 1993. A member of the People's United Party (PUP) he served two terms in the Belize National Assembly from 1989 to 1998 representing the Belize Rural South constituency. He was also Honorary Consul of Finland to Belize from 2002 to 2012. He currently serves as the managing director of Glenn D. Godfrey & Co LLP.
The 2022–23 Premier League of Belize is the tenth season of the Premier League of Belize, the highest competitive football league in Belize, after it was founded in 2011. The league commenced in July 2022 and is scheduled to end in mid 2023. The season is divided into two halves, each crowning one champion.
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