Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 23 Mar 2022 13:37

gp_cricket.jpeg

North Texas will now be a significant home base to yet another sport: cricket. The former stadium of the Texas AirHogs baseball team, built in 2007 in Grand Prairie, is about to become the American home of Major League Cricket (MLC). The league gave city officials their first look at the facility on Tuesday.

MLC officials presented their plans to reconstruct the baseball diamond into a professional cricket field. According to the plan presented to the Grand Prairie City Council on Tuesday, the groundbreaking event will take place in late March or early April with construction expected to be completed sometime in the first quarter of 2023.

Major League Cricket Will Turn Grand Prairie's Baseball Diamond Into a World-Class Cricket Oval - Dallas Observer
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potatocoins
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby potatocoins » 23 Mar 2022 13:45

So I'm guessing this is in lieu of the stadium that was supposed to be built in Allen?

If so, I think this is great news. Allen seemed way too far out there, glad to see it built here instead.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 27 May 2022 15:14

Local Investors Anurag Jain and Ross Perot Jr. Help Bring Major League Cricket to North Texas and Beyond
- https://dallasinnovates.com/local-investors-anurag-jain-and-ross-perot-jr-help-bring-major-league-cricket-to-north-texas-and-beyond/

The total of more than $120 million [of expected new funding] will largely go toward building cricket-focused stadiums and training facilities for the planned six teams that will play in the league, as well as for a developmental league
...
In addition to converting the baseball diamond into a cricket pitch and increasing the stadium’s seating capacity to 7,000 permanent seats, the Grand Prairie site will house USA Cricket, the governing body for the sport in the U.S, men’s and women’s national teams, along with a “premier high-performance center.” The stadium will also host international tournaments as USA Cricket seeks to become a full member of the International Cricket Council by 2030.


The league is still on track to start next year, I'm excited.
Minor League Cricket starts their second season on June 25th.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 27 Jul 2022 13:29

Video update:
https://youtu.be/00VwSCPzbik

TIMELINE ANNOUNCED FOR COMPLETION OF MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET STADIUM IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TX
Demolition and excavation work began this week at Grand Prairie Stadium . . .
The improvements now underway at Grand Prairie Stadium include refurbishment and enhancement of the stadium’s 13 luxury suites and Hall of Fame and Officer Club Rooms, installation of premium seating experiences around the field, and a renovation and reopening of the stadium’s sports bar facility. The new cricket stadium will be capable of hosting major international competitions meeting full international broadcast specifications. Training nets, batting lanes, two additional outside turf fields and further enhancements to the venue will be made in subsequent renovation phases.

- Major League Cricket

Still expected to be ready by spring next year.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 15 Nov 2022 12:24

Looks like we're getting to host the league's inaugural match, which is exciting:

"Major League Cricket wrapping up renovations to Grand Prairie Stadium, season begins July"
On July 13, the first Major League Cricket match will take place in Grand Prairie in a 7,200-seat stadium where the Texas AirHogs baseball team used to play. Nineteen matches later, the league’s championship game will be played July 30.
. . .
Six teams — Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle and New York City — will each stock their rosters with multiple global stars playing alongside U.S. cricketers. Team names and identities will be unveiled in early 2023.

- Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/local-companies/2022/11/15/major-league-cricket-wrapping-up-renovations-to-grand-prairie-stadium-season-begins-july/

Guessing the season's timing is to accommodate the larger leagues around the world. Here's to hoping for some evening matches. :lol: But it would be very cool to attend the first match of a league that is likely to only get bigger and bigger over time. I remember how small MLS was when it started.

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potatocoins
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby potatocoins » 15 Nov 2022 15:08

I'm so glad this one is coming to GP instead of Allen. Now if we could just get the FC Dallas stadium closer to this area too.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 16 Nov 2022 15:30

Huh. I didn't even notice it until just now but the rendering they shared recently is new. The identical fireworks made me glaze over it ahah, but there's some significant changes.
New:
cricket1.JPG


Old:
cricket2.jpeg


And a new POV rendering:
cricket4.JPG


potatocoins wrote:I'm so glad this one is coming to GP instead of Allen. Now if we could just get the FC Dallas stadium closer to this area too.

I'm glad as well. The Dallas Sidekicks play in Allen and I always tell myself it would be fun to try and make it over there for a game but I just never do :lol:
With this stadium planning to host cricket world cup matches, it makes sense to be closer to DFW airport.
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 03 Feb 2023 15:01

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itsjrd1964
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby itsjrd1964 » 23 Mar 2023 06:47

The DFW-area cricket team will be called the Texas Super Kings, 1 of 6 MLC teams around the US. Games will start this summer. One of the co-owners of the team is Ross Perot Jr.

https://www.dmagazine.com/sports/2023/0 ... an-champs/

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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 23 Mar 2023 13:27

I get that they're doing it to tap into existing fan bases for the IPL teams, but personally I really wish they went with unique team names instead of borrowing them. The dallas, new york, and LA team names/brands are all borrowed.

As the league grows I have no doubt Houston will get a team, and by then I hope Dallas isn't saddled with being the "Texas Super Kings" forever.

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 05 Jun 2023 11:52

Got the new seats in. The work has been cutting it pretty close when the first match is set for just little over a month from now. Still, I'm excited to roast in that July sun and see this sport take off here.

https://twitter.com/MLCricket/status/1665477521658241029?s=20
mlc2.JPG

mlc3.JPG
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itsjrd1964
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby itsjrd1964 » 17 Jul 2023 05:08

The Super Kings played their home opener last Thursday. They beat the L.A. team and the game was a sell-out.

https://www.fwweekly.com/2023/07/14/spo ... -in-texas/

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IcedCowboyCoffee
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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 17 Jul 2023 13:27

Yep, it's been a big hit as far as local attendance goes, which is incredible given the weather.

Understandably, the weekday afternoon scorcher games have been pretty empty, but the opener was a sell-out. The final game is sold out. Tonight's game is being aired on CBS Sports and it's filling up so they're opening standing-room-only space. The league's moves throughout this tournament have made it clear their primary goal has been to make its presence felt among the existing U.S. cricket fanbase and as far as that's concerned I would say mission accomplished.

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Re: Grand Prairie: Major League Cricket stadium

Postby IcedCowboyCoffee » 11 Sep 2023 10:02

"We’re Getting Another Pro Cricket League" - D Magazine
On the other hand, perhaps the greatest point of overlap is North Texas. Just not Grand Prairie. NCL is leaning into Dallas, from the headquarters to the upcoming franchise all the way down to the construction of a new cricket-friendly multipurpose venue in Dallas County...

https://www.dmagazine.com/sports/2023/09/were-getting-another-pro-cricket-league/
Pretty cool.
To be clear, this is a completely separate entity from the one that launched a couple months ago. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out but it's not hard to imagine them coexisting. After all, in a country dominated by 'the big four', we're still able to support multiple professional soccer leagues.