Major League Cricket is going to need time to develop. The new league that will be based in the United States received approval from the City of Grand Prairie on a long-term lease agreement. From there, builders will start to redevelop AirHogs Stadium as the organization’s first major cricket stadium in the United States.
AirHogs Stadium is one of the top sports performance facilities among minor league baseball teams. It was previously used for minor league baseball in Texas, but will instead host the new Texas MLC franchise in 2022. As expected, construction will take place throughout 2021, but for now, it is the first and only stadium in the process of being built.
City of Grand Prairie
Great Prairie has a strong cricket fan base around its surrounding areas. The time zone is favorable to broadcast in international cricket markets. The only drawback is that fans in Texas can’t use Betway Cricket or other gambling platforms. Online gambling is illegal in the state of Texas. The nearest state to gamble would be New Mexico or Arkansas.
Taken from Pixabay
The new cricket stadium will be a host site for major international events in the United States. That includes the regional International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup and T20 World Cup Qualifiers for Men and Women. By 2031, the United States is hopeful that Grand Prairie could be the host site of the T20 World Cup.
The American league’s rise
American cricket will feature franchises based out of New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Satya Khan’s firm is reportedly a part-owner of the company and is looking into starting a T20 cricket tournament. Tech giant CEO Satya Nadella is joining the trend of putting money behind cricket teams and leagues. Over the last several months, tech CEOs are putting stock in that the sport will continue to grow in popularity, even in the United States, where it has struggled to stay afloat.
Nadella is reported to have invested money into running a team out of Seattle, which alluded to the world-class cricket field Microsoft is building as it updates its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Over the years, Seattle has been starting youth leagues for cricket, so it’s not surprising that the city would want a professional franchise.
A transformation
Over the years, cricket in America has seen a dramatic transformation. That includes the release of the organization’s first “Foundational Plan.” The plan has the vision to establish cricket as the leading sport in the United States and become a full member of the ICC by 2030. While establishing cricket as the leading sport is very ambitious given that Americans have a strong pull to football, baseball, and basketball, there is no denying that cricket is rising in popularity.
Among international sports, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world. Billions of viewers watch worldwide, while America’s fanbase is still growing. With a new league and stadiums being built across the country, America could have a new love.
