Government approval has been given for the National Cricket Stadium and High Performance Centre project to proceed to pre-tender phase.
The centre, with seating for 4,000 spectators, will be located in the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown, and deliver a permanent home for cricket in Ireland that meets International Cricket Council requirements for hosting major cricket events and competitions.
Planning and design is expected to be completed by mid-2025 with the tender phase to follow.
It is anticipated that the proposed facilities would include both indoor and outdoor practice and training areas and an arena for holding major games with associated media and spectator facilities.
Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom welcomed the announcement: “It is probably up there in terms of significance with the day that we became a Full Member of the ICC – it is a tribute to the enormous growth that the sport has enjoyed over the last 10 to 15 years at all levels of the game.
“Not just nationally, but provincially and at club level. These facilities will help drive the sport forward – they will significantly assist our highest performing players nationally and provincially to prepare, train and perform better on the world stage.
“It’s also going to increase the number of pitches that we can use, helping us ensure that we host more cricket in Ireland. Whether men’s, women’s, seniors, juniors, nationally or provincially, this new facility will help keep our product, our sport, on our shores.
“Our new permanent ground will also ensure that we have a platform suitable of hosting the world’s top teams on an annual basis and also when we co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with England and Scotland in 2030.”
The Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD said: “As we look forward to Ireland co-hosting the 2030 Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup with the UK, the development of a National Cricket Stadium and High Performance Centre is timely.
“It will be really exciting to see some of those matches taking place in the new oval at the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown. It will further open up the Campus to the wider country and build awareness of what a unique asset Ireland has in this 550 acre site.”
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD added: “While cricket is a sport with really deep roots in Ireland, it’s also a sport that reflects the diversity and plurality of today’s society.
“It is really pleasing to see how the sport has grown, at all levels, in Ireland over recent years, particularly the increase in female participation numbers and among our growing community from South Asia.
“A National Stadium and High Performance Centre will provide Cricket Ireland with the facilities required to further grow participation numbers.”
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