Long‑Awaited Rogers Stadium Rebuild Still on Hold

Belize City’s softball community is feeling sidelined tonight; after learning they won’t be able to use Rogers Stadium for competition this year. The fence was torn down back in October to start reconstruction, but since then, no actual work has begun. Still, the Belize Softball Federation says this delay is part of a bigger picture. President Marconi Leal Jr. is calling it “short‑term pain for long‑term gain,” as plans move ahead for a full modernization of the historic stadium. He says the federation has been working closely with the Ministry of Sports on the final design, and while players will have to relocate to other fields for now, the vision for a brand‑new Rogers Stadium is well underway. Here’s what Leal had to say about the project’s next steps.

 

Marconi Leal Jr., President, Belize Softball Federation

“As the President of the Softball Federation, we’re definitely excited to have been collaborating with the Ministry of Sports. We’re finalizing the details of a new design for a new Rogers Stadium. We know Rogers Stadium is the home of softball, the home of baseball, so many little leagues. I hear about the stories of Little League used to being there. So as a softball federation over the past few months, we’ve been finalizing the details with Minister Mahler and Minister Devin Daly and CEO Nicole Solano. And so in a few weeks we’re gonna be finalizing and sharing the full details of that. But in the softball world we’re definitely excited about what is to come because it’s big. It’s going to be, it’s gonna allow us to do so much more in terms of the game we play on a day to day basis, our international preparation, and the wellbeing of the sports going forward in terms of how we play. In the meantime, we have to look at different fields that are available. Unfortunate there’s not much field. One of the main thing is the softball backdrop. And so for now we’re looking at Sandhill and Burrel Boom, which are in close vicinity where we have the facilities there in terms of the proper fence, the proper bathroom facilities and selling areas. And so we’ll be there for this year and the hope is that by next year we have a spanking brand new Rogers Stadium.”