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Popular sports (cricket, football, basketball) - St Lucia

Review: What's loved on the island

St Lucia is dominated by cricket and football, with basketball with its own national league a rapidly growing mass destination. This is reflected in the infrastructure (international level cricket stadium in Gros-Ile) and in the calendar of competitions from school tournaments to professional events.

Cricket: a symbol of sporting identity

Stadium and tournaments

The island's main arena is the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Ile (formerly Beausejour). The stadium ~ 13-15 thousand spectators hosts international matches (Tests, ODI, T20I), CPL and major events; in 2024 it was one of ICC Men's T20 World Cup arenas. The home team in the CPL is the Saint Lucia Kings.

Club at West Indies level

The Saint Lucia Kings franchise took the first CPL title in 2024 (coach - Darren Sammy, captain - Faf do Plessis), which was the culmination of an 11-year wait for fans.

Heroes and pupils

Darren Sammy is the first West Indies international since St Lucia, a two-time T20 world champion as captain (2012, 2016), now head coach of the Windies in white ball. The main arena of the island is named after him.

Johnson Charles is an explosive batter for the West Indies and Kings; participated in the T20-2024 World Cup and flashed in the CPL-2024. In the arena in Gros-Ile there is a tribune of his name.

Why this is important for tourism and youth: cricket on the north coast complements the restaurant and beach areas of Rodney Bay, and the school/club system brings talented players to the regional teams (Windward Islands) and beyond.

Football: CONCACAF national team and international calendar

Status and popularity

Football is the most popular sport immediately after cricket: the national team plays in CONCACAF tournaments, and home games are periodically hosted by large venues like the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Up-to-date results

In the CONCACAF Nations League 2024/25, Saint Lucia won, in particular, bright victories over Curacao (2:1) and Grenada (2:1), playing a series of matches in the fall of 2024. These meetings highlighted the progress of the team and the support of the fans.

Development focus: expansion of youth leagues under the auspices of SLFA, infrastructure upgrades of training bases and the continuation of the practice of holding international matches at large stadiums of the island.

Basketball: The rise of the league and local brands

Home ecosystem

Responsible for basketball is the St. Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF), accredited by FIBA ​ ​ (America). Domestically, the key tournament is the KFC National Basketball League.

Final seasons and champions

In 2025, the NBL champion became the Soufrière Kings team - a bright case of club management that promotes the game outside the capital and strengthens the fan base in the south-west of the island. The league is actively covered in the social networks of the federation and local media.

Why this is important: basketball provides a "fast" urban arena for young people, easily scales in school sports and forms bridges to regional creole tournaments in Martinique/Guadeloupe.

Infrastructure and sites

Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (Gros Ile): An international arena, home to the Saint Lucia Kings and venue for major games and concerts.

Vizhi/Kastri and school sports complexes: the core of basketball matches (including semi-finals/finals of the NBL) and junior tournaments under the SLBF.

Municipal stadiums and fields: base of football leagues and cups, CONCACAF selection grounds and friendly matches.

Fan calendar: What to watch throughout the year

May-June: International cricket matches and FIFA/CONCACAF windows (national team home meetings).

August-September: CPL peak with Saint Lucia Kings home games at Sammy Stadium.

Winter-spring: KFC National Basketball League regular season and playoffs under the auspices of the SLBF.

Economy and community effect

Sport is not only a spectacle, but also a driver of the local economy (transport, food, merch), as well as a social linkage of districts: school teams and clubs give young people legal and ambitious trajectories - from courtyards to professional CPL scenes and FIBA ​ ​ continental tournaments. The Kings' victory in 2024 and the Soufrière Kings trophy in 2025 showed that the island has winning stories in several sports at once.

Saint Lucia is a small island with a big sporting heart.

Cricket is a flagship and business card thanks to a world-class stadium and legends like Darren Sammy.

Football is a mass character and an international calendar, where the national team adds in the League of Nations matches.

Basketball is a peppy local league and new heroes.

This "big three" forms both the tourist value of the destination and a stable social fabric - from schools to professional arenas.

Key sources: A general overview of popular sports in St Lucia; profile and achievements of Darren Sammy; Saint Lucia Kings stadium and franchise statuses (including the CPL-2024 title); results of the national team in the League of Nations 2024/25; basketball structure and NBL-2025 champion.