Most sports fans in the United States may be confused by the sport of cricket, but the sport could be ready to try and establish itself in the country in the near future. A professional cricket league is aiming to launch franchises in eight cities around the country, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
The proposed league is being organized by Global Sports Ventures, and it is not one that comes without risks. Ideas to build stadiums have their own obstacles because cricket is not a sport that has a huge following in the country. Therefore, securing the land and funding to build appropriate venues for the sport could be a challenge. But fortunately, Global Sports Venues reportedly has a developing partner in place.
From Curbed;
The group plans to launch a new cricket league starting with franchises in eight major U.S. cities, including Chicago. According to a press release, Global Sports Ventures will partner with developer JLL to bring new stadiums to all eight cities, which include Chicago, New York, East Brunswick, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, and Dallas.
The proposed stadiums will be designed to create an atmosphere with more to offer than just a cricket stadium. As is the mission for any number of new stadium projects on a larger scale in the United States, the new cricket venues would come with an assortment of restaurants and other commercial opportunities.
“The prototypical stadium complex will comprise a cricket stadium, parking, club house, restaurants, hotels, retail, residential, and office space,” says a press release for Global Sports Ventures. “Each development will be individually designed to create an exciting and interactive lifestyle center while generating significant economic impact for each city. Global Sports Ventures LLC estimates the first eight stadiums and surrounding development will represent a $2.4 billion investment and create approximately 17,000 jobs.”
The cricket movement in the United States is still a few years away from becoming a reality. The target launch date for the league is not until 2020. That means the clock is ticking to see any of these developmental goals to start breaking ground. The good news is the cricket stadiums themselves would not be too large.
[Curbed]
