GEORGETOWN, Guyana – July 9, 2026 – As Guyana prepares to welcome three back-to-back major international sporting events this weekend, the South American nation has received a transformative investment in grassroots cricket that underscores its growing reputation as a competitive regional sports hub.
On Thursday, at the youth-focused “The WI Experience at Courts” event held on Main Street in Georgetown, local retail giant COURTS (Unicomer Guyana Inc.) pledged GY$850,000 in total support to the 124-year-old Malteenoes Sports Club Cricket Academy. The donation includes a GY$500,000 cash grant alongside GY$350,000 worth of professional cricket equipment – ranging from match-grade bats and batting pads to helmets, balls and wicket stumps – to outfit the academy’s rising young players for training and competition.
The event, a collaborative initiative between Courts, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Guyana’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, was staged just two days ahead of the West Indies’ opening One-Day International against New Zealand at Providence’s Guyana National Stadium, part of a five-match series that will see Guyana host the first three matches on July 11, 13 and 16. It gave 20 selected young Guyanese cricket fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to interact informally with four current West Indies squad members, celebrating Caribbean cricket heritage and connecting the next generation of players to their sporting idols.
Speaking at the event, Steve Ninvalle, Director of Sport at Guyana’s Ministry of Sport, framed the growing flow of investments and upcoming packed calendar of international events as the intentional outcome of the government’s long-term sports development strategy. “This is not by chance. It has happened because of careful planning by the government,” Ninvalle said, pointing to this weekend’s stacked schedule that combines the West Indies-New Zealand ODI series with the motor racing GT Challenge and a FIBA international basketball tournament.
Ninvalle highlighted the government’s recent investments in upgraded sports infrastructure, including the fully resurfaced South Dakota Circuit motorsports venue, as evidence of the country’s progress. Multiple refurbished, world-class facilities now position Guyana to attract large-scale international tournaments that would have been out of reach just years ago, he added. “It says that we are moving in the right direction as it relates to sport.”
To continue this upward trajectory, Ninvalle called for deeper collaboration between the public and private sectors, noting that government investment alone cannot unlock the nation’s full sporting potential. “We need to have private support also in order to get us to our full potential,” he emphasized.
Gillian Matthews, Managing Director of Unicomer Guyana Inc., echoed that commitment to collaborative development, framing the company’s investment as more than a surface-level sponsorship. “At Unicomer Guyana and Courts, we believe that being a good corporate citizen means more than sponsoring a jersey or a scoreboard. It means investing in the people — and especially the young people — who make this sport, and this country, what it is. That’s why our partnership with Cricket West Indies means so much to us,” Matthews said in an official press statement.
Dario Barthley, Events Manager for Cricket West Indies, expressed gratitude for Courts’ consistent, tangible support for cricket across the Caribbean, not just in Guyana. Following the formal ceremony, young academy players had the opportunity to take photos and meet one-on-one with the visiting West Indies players, capping a day of celebration for local cricket.
As Guyana’s cricket fever builds ahead of this weekend’s first ODI, the donation to the historic Malteenoes academy secures long-term value beyond the current international tournament, nurturing the next generation of Guyanese and West Indian cricket talent. Courts, Guyana’s leading retailer of furniture, appliances and electronics and a member of the Unicomer Group, says it will continue prioritizing youth sports development through its ongoing community outreach initiatives across the country.