At an official ceremony held last week in Jaco Beach in the Garabito canton, Province of Puntarenas, the coastal resort town was confirmed as one of the host cities for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Jaco Beach is the second host location selected outside of the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area.

There was an additional announcement made at the ceremony: the construction of a new stadium in the city, which will be home to the Jaco Rays Football Club. The Rays currently play in the national Liga de Ascenso (LIASCE in Spanish), a second division league that plays for a coveted spot in the national First Division.

The new Garabito Stadium will sit on 11 hectares and will have all the specifications and requirements needed to hold FIFA sporting events. The stadium will sit 7,000 fans and will feature a natural grass pitch. Additional facilities for the press corps and spectators will be included in the construction project.

Pat Hundley is the gentleman who will oversee the stadium construction project, which will cost approximately $5 million. Groundbreaking will take place in September and should be completed six months prior to the first scheduled 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup game.

Mr. Hundley is a businessman who arrived in Costa Rica in 2002. He has been actively involved in projects that aim to revitalize the beach community in Jaco and the canton of Garabito. The Jaco Rays football team was born out of an idea that Hundley decided to put into action in 2010. The Rays became a reality when the former Asociacion Deportiva Naranjo football team was acquired by Hundley along with two veteran football personalities from Alajuela, Wilmer “Pato” Lopez and Johnny Perez.

The Jaco Rays Football Club is currently one of the eight teams that will advance to the quarter finals. The other teams are Carmelita and Guanacasteca, with one more team to be defined. The quarter finals matches will take place in April, and the championship will be played on May 27th.

Source: ExtraTV 42