Dear Editor,
With the remodelled Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) expected to host the opening games of the 2026 Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament on December 13, the return of this major sporting spectacle to the venue where it was first staged in 1992 has generated considerable interest across Linden, Guyana and the diaspora.
The redesigned MSC facility, which in some quarters is now being referred to as the “Mackenzie Stadium,” is also approaching an important milestone. The facility, located at 464 Greenheart Street, Mackenzie, Linden, is just two months away from its 70th anniversary.
Against this background, and following developments since discussions first began between the Government and the MSC Executive in August 2020, I feel compelled, in my capacity as General Secretary of the Mackenzie Sports Club, to start to write publicly on several issues surrounding the facility.
At the first informal meeting in August 2020 between Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. and the MSC Executive, led by President Avery Trim, the Government presented its proposal to improve the existing facilities. The Minister’s team included Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Kashif Muhammad.
At that meeting, Minister Ramson expressed his intention to work collaboratively with the MSC. He stated:
“I am happy to have the support from the MSC, the executive. We would like to do some work here, and it is important for me to do work in a collaborative way, where we get the support and cooperation from management and the members of the MSC.”
He further stated:
“I don’t intend to supersede anybody. I want a working relationship and intend to involve you in every step of the way as far as the projects [we] intend to proceed.”
These assurances gave the MSC Executive the understanding that any proposed development of the facility would be undertaken through consultation and cooperation.
However, two years later, in October 2022, and without what the MSC Executive considered meaningful consultation having taken place, Minister Ramson returned to Linden and stated that the MSC now belonged to the Government of Guyana, and that construction work is to begin shortly.
This position raised serious concerns, particularly since the Minister had also publicly indicated that the Government was not interested in taking over the MSC, that the facility belonged to the people of Linden and that, following completion of the works, the MSC Management Committee would be responsible for managing the facility rather than the Government.
The Government had also assured the MSC Committee of Management and the public that the concept drawings for the proposed facility would be shown to the MSC Executive before construction commenced. This did not occur.
The MSC wrote to the Government, including Minister Ramson, on several occasions requesting meetings to discuss the way forward. Despite these efforts, the MSC Committee maintains that there was no meaningful engagement with the MSC or the relevant local authorities concerning what was being undertaken at this iconic sporting and cultural venue.
In October 2022, the Minister announced that the Government was the new owner of the MSC. This claim was swiftly challenged by the MSC Committee of Management, which wrote to the Minister requesting that the relevant documentation be provided to establish how ownership of the property had been acquired or transferred.
To date, the Committee maintains that no such documentation has been provided to it.
What I do know is that, in 2019, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) sought information concerning the ownership of the MSC facility during a meeting with representatives of the Club.
However, when Minister Ramson met with MSC executives in October 2022, he indicated that a transfer of ownership from NICIL to the Government had taken place in April 2022.
For the record, more than 25 years ago, a previous PPP/C Government also sought to have the MSC’s land and assets transferred to the Ministry responsible for sport. That proposal was rejected by the MSC Committee of Management. At that time, the Minister and team were directed to a plaque which hung upstairs in the MSC Lounge and which the Committee regarded as relevant to the history and status of the facility.
The MSC Committee of Management has also stated that several important documents relating to the ownership of the Club were destroyed in a fire at the Linmine Secretariat in 2012. The fire occurred during protests on the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge against proposed increases in electricity tariffs in Linden.
Given this history, the question of ownership of the Mackenzie Sports Club remains, from the Committee’s perspective, unresolved and deserving of transparency.
The MSC Executive therefore continues to seek clarity regarding the legal basis upon which ownership of the facility is being claimed by the Government. If a lawful transfer of ownership has occurred, the relevant documentation should be made available so that the matter can be properly clarified.
The Mackenzie Sports Club has played an important role in the sporting, social and cultural life of Linden for almost 70 years. As the remodeled facility prepares to reopen and once again host major sporting events, its history, legacy and the concerns surrounding its ownership should not be overlooked.
The people of Linden, the MSC membership and the wider public deserve transparency and clarity concerning the ownership, management and future of this historic facility.
Yours respectfully,
Joseph Chapman
General Secretary
Mackenzie Sports Club
