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We’re going to start to see a lot of cricket from the United States. Major League Cricket starts in 2023, while the country will also be co-hosts for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Here is a round up of some significant stadiums within the country.
How Many Cricket Stadiums are in the USA?
There are eight major cricket stadiums in the United States. Some of these have been used for international cricket in the past, and all are of the quality required to host professional games.
Beyond the professional circuit, there will be many minor cricket grounds which would be far too numerous to count.
Cricket Stadiums in the USA
Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas
The Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie Texas has been chosen to host all Major League Cricket games in 2023. The competition should start to spread across the US, but this ground is the focal point for now.
Like a lot of stadiums in the country, this is a multi-purpose venue. It opened in 2008 and has hosted baseball and soccer. Moving forward, the Grand Prairie Stadium is intended to host the national cricket team along with other major matches across the sport. There are many things to do in Texas, but this is one of the must-visit destinations for sports enthusiasts and avid cricket fans alike.
Central Broward Regional Park Stadium – Lauderhill
Fans of cricket around the world should already be familiar with this ground in Lauderhill, Florida. It was the first stadium in the country to be dedicated to cricket and it’s already hosted international games involving the USA and the West Indies.
The Windies enjoy a loyal fan base in the US and the team has made regular trips here. The growth of the sport means that we should see a lot more of the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in the near future.
Minute Maid Park – Houston
Opened in 2000, Minute Maid Park in Houston is primarily a baseball ground with an impressive capacity of 41,574.
It has hosted non-baseball events including a match in the Cricket All Stars Series of 2015.
BPL Cricket Ground – Chicago
One of the very few existing, purpose-built cricket stadiums in the US, the BPL Cricket Ground can be located in Indian Boundary Park in the Bolingbrook Park District.
It boasts Chicago’s only turf block with four wickets constructed from rye grass and it has hosted adult and junior league matches for several years.
Leo Magnus Cricket Complex – Los Angeles
Another significant United States cricket stadium can be found in Van Nuys in Los Angeles. Four cricket pitches are here at the Leo Magnus Cricket Complex and it is home to the Hollywood Master Blasters who have played Minor League Cricket on these surfaces since 2015.
The venue has connections with West Indies cricket. It’s named after former Jamaican player Leo Magnus who starred for the local University Club, while fast bowler Franklyn Rose said that the ground had the best cricket facilities in the US.
Indianapolis World Sports Park
This is an interesting venue as it showcases many of the fringe sports that are currently being enjoyed in the United States. Along with cricket, Indianapolis Sports Park also hosts Australian Rules Football, rugby, Gaelic Football, lacrosse and hurling.
Clearly, if you’re not into the regular US sports, this is the place to come. Indianapolis Sports Park was opened in 2014 and there are three multi-use fields here across 46 acres.
Citi Field – New York
This was another host venue for the 2015 All Stars Series. This was a set of games that featured cricketing legends including Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. Maybe their presence helped to fuel a new interest in cricket around the United States.
Citi Field is better known as the home of Major League Baseball’s the New York Mets. It’s an option for cricket matches, but the development of stadiums that will be specifically used for the sport could render Citi Field redundant.
Moosa Stadium – Pearland, TX
The Moosa Stadium in Pearland should be an important venue at the 2024 T20 World Cup. It became the second US Stadium, after Lauderhill, to be granted ODI status by the International Cricket Council
For a number of years, this ground has been home to American College cricket while the Canadian national team has also played here. The Moosa Stadium has a 4,000 capacity which will be adequate for the time being, and there’s going to be a lot of international cricket played at this picturesque venue over the coming years.
Conclusion
While this is the position right now, there will be more cricket stadiums to report on in the near future. As co-hosts of the 2024 World Cup, this is clearly a sport that the Americans are starting to take seriously.
Their grounds are a bit of a mixture right now. Those with the bigger capacities tend to be primarily baseball stadiums, while the purpose built cricket grounds are much smaller.
If the sport is to develop in the United States, I would say that those capacities may need to increase, while newer stadiums could be considered, but it will be great to see these venues in use for international and domestic cricket moving forward.
