Construction of the stadium in New York is underway (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via … [+]
New York’s cricket stadium, which is being purposefully built for June’s T20 World Cup and will host the money-spinning India and Pakistan blockbuster, will cost around $30 million, according to sources, with tournament officials confident on a return of investment.
The 34,000-seat modular Nassau County Stadium in Eisenhower Park, 30 miles east of Manhattan, is currently under construction ahead of the T20 World Cup starting on June 1 with an opening match between the U.S. and Canada in Dallas.
New York will host eight games in the group stage with its first match on June 3 between South Africa and Sri Lanka, while cricket powerhouse India will play against Ireland, Pakistan and the U.S.
There has been a tight timeline with construction starting less than three months ago. It is set to be completed in early May with a test event on the 27th.
The stadium is expected to cost T20 Incorporated, the entity established in the U.S. to deliver the event with governing body USA Cricket amid ongoing tumult, around $30 million but officials are understood to be confident that costs will be comfortably recouped through ticketing and hospitality.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) declined to comment on costings.
A computer generated image of the stadium
It is unsurprising that India, cricket’s undisputed powerhouse, will be mostly based in New York during the tournament’s early stages marked by the marquee fixture with rival Pakistan on June 9.
Previous contests over the past decade have been watched by a viewership of between 300-500 million, with the intense rivalry milked at ICC events as the teams do not play against each other in bilateral cricket due to political differences.
The New York match between foes has predictably been the hottest ticket of the tournament after being oversubscribed more than 200 times the allocation in the public ballot. A standard ticket cost $175, while the standard plus was priced at $300 and premium rose to $400.
Resale tickets on StubHub are currently starting at $2000, while there have been reports on social media of exorbitant hospitality packages.
It is understood that discussions are being held over third party use of the ground post the T20 World Cup.
Cricket infrastructure has been needed to be built given the sport’s uniquely shaped grounds. Baseball fields are difficult to convert due to its narrow dimensions.
Finding suitable infrastructure in New York had proven troublesome. Initially, there had been plans to develop a 34,000-seat stadium in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. New York City Mayor Eric Adams supported the divisive proposal, with critics opposing the loss of public space to a private tournament.
But Eisenhower Park, a purpose-built sports and events park, has filled the breach with architectural design firm Populous tasked with developing this much-hyped stadium.
The grandstands, previously used for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, have been repurposed, while all the matches will be played during the day with no floodlights installed.
A drop-in pitch was built in Florida under the guidance of experienced curator Damian Hough, who is based in Adelaide, Australia.
India and Pakistan will square off in New York (Photo by Daniel Pockett-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
The U.S. has been deemed a target market by the sport’s power brokers, with the ICC stating there are already 50 million cricket fans in a country with growing South Asian communities.
It has led to significant, potentially game-changing developments hoped to finally put U.S. on the cricket map, including the launch of well-heeled T20 franchise league Major League Cricket, which surpassed financial expectations in its debut season last year.
After being at the heart of grandiose proposals for some time – former Australia cricket boss James Sutherland once had a rather audacious idea for the T20 World Cup to be held at Central Park – New York will finally be at the center of cricket in June.
