The federal government has announced that three baseball stadiums in Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche will be restored by the Ministry of Agricultural, Territorial and Urban Development at a cost of at least 219 million pesos (US $11 million).

In Cancún, Quintana Roo, the Beto Ávila stadium will be remodeled at a cost of 72 million to 202 million pesos (US $3.6 million to $10.2 million), according to proposals that have been offered. The state-owned stadium is home of the Quintana Roo Tigers, one of whose owners is former Major League Baseball pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

The government said the choice to restore the Cancún stadium is part of a strategy to promote urban development in one of Mexico’s top tourism destinations. The stadium was last remodeled 14 years ago, and is showing signs of age. Laboratory tests showed that the structure was acceptable in strength, but authorities cautioned that without the restoration, the structure could become weak and be in danger of structural failures.

The Nelson Barrera Romellón stadium in Campeche, Campeche, will also benefit from an upgrade. The contract to restore the home of the Campeche Pirates has been awarded to Checa S.A. de C.V. for 75.7 million pesos, a portion of which will be paid by the state government. The restoration will improve current facilities and add two new buildings to the complex. The new spaces will feature a team store and a restaurant with a view of both the field and the ocean.

The third project is at the home of the Olmecas in Villahermosa, Tabasco. Like the Cancún stadium, the cost is expected to be between 72 million and 202 million pesos.

The stadium restorations are not the first for the federal government. It has already paid 89 million pesos to rehabilitate the stadium in Palenque, Chiapas, home of the Guacamayas, a team owned by Pío López Obrador, the brother of the president.

The federal government also provided 87 million pesos to restore the baseball stadium in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, and 600 million pesos to buy and restore a stadium in Hermosillo, Sonora. Altogether, the government’s recent expenditures on baseball stadiums total 995 million pesos.

President López Obrador frequently takes time to play the game, his favorite sport.

With reports from El Universal