Cost Of Modular Cricket Stadiums? (and Some Thoughts)

[Bariaga]

Cross-posted from the other forum..


One of the biggest factors for cricket not being more popular in this country is lack of suitable stadiums to hold games. Vast majority of the stadiums here are much too narrow for cricket. Niche sports like soccer, rugby, and lacrosse all were able to get things going here by renting stadiums built for other sports. Cricket, unfortunately, needs some investors to invest big in stadiums right from the start.

The cricket ground in Florida was built for $70 mil but the investments probably don't have to bethat big. Instead of building permanent concrete stadiums they can go with some modular 5,000 seaters (and berm capacity of 5,000 more). Anyone know the cost of building 7-8 of these around the country?

While the upfront infrastructure cost would be relatively big for a cricket league, I think the low salaries of decent international cricket players would balance it out somewhat. Cricket's weakness of being popular mostly in poor countries with low spending power can ironically help it grow (in countries like the US and China). You can build one of the top leagues/tournaments with a payroll as low as $500k per team (salaries for some of the top players in SLPL), or a decent league with few 'designated players' for under $200k per team.

Cricket may not be a top draw at the gate here for a long time because most of the action take place in the middle of the field; so the low capacity of the stadiums (and lack of bells and whistles) would be fine. Its strength would likely be as a TV property. Thanks to the many ex-pat hardcore cricket fans willing to pay millions of dollars to watch the games on PPV and specialty channels, combined with the fact that some upstart sports networks need live contents and are paying rights fees for properties with relatively low ratings, I think a cricket league has a chance to get some decent TV money. Something in the neighborhood of $10 million/year (similar to MLS' deal with NBCSN), would probably make the league solvent or at least prevent the owners from hemorrhaging money. Now all we need is few investors with vision, something soccer was blessed with, who would not be afraid to take on some short term losses to grow the league/sport. Any thoughts?​

 

[futureblackcap]

Would be great for the game to take off in the US, just needs some people with money and some people with vision as you say.

 

[troll3y]

You're my new favourite person, Bariaga.


I've never thought about what the Americans (and other Associate boards) would have to do about building stadiums, specifically. You're on to something, I think: modular, multi-sport stadiums that are initially more favourable to media facilities. The problem is that there aren't a lot of other sports that have an inherit need for an oval playing surface -- American football, soccer (real football), rugby and lacrosse are all played on rectangular fields of approximately the same size. To answer your question about costs to build stadiums, Bariaga, Infinity Park in Denver, CO cost $22.5 million to build, so the figure for a larger elliptical cricket stadium would be slightly higher. For a facility with extra fields and other facilities, the $130-million figure on Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO would be a better indicator.

I haven't really been following the world of USA cricket since I got back from there at the start of August, but I assume there is still a massive player base around the Washington DC metro area and around New Jersey. Logically, the best places for the USACA to build stadiums are around the areas with a high cricket-playing population, and the DC and Jersey tri-state areas would be the first places to investigate. Washington state, on the west coast, has a very successful cricket league, and perhaps that would be worth looking at. That, or pretty much anywhere with a high West Indian population.