Cricket Ireland chief Warren Deutrom hails Irish government's decision to grant approval for national cricket stadium
Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom says the magnitude of the Irish government’s decision to grant approval for the development of a national cricket stadium cannot be underestimated.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the green light had been given to commence work on ‘the planning and design phase of this exciting project’, the Irish government said.
In a statement, Cricket Ireland said: “This will see planning and design completed by mid-2025 with the tender phase to follow.
“The [National Cricket Stadium and High Performance] Centre, which will be located in the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown, will deliver a permanent home for cricket in Dublin that meets International Cricket Council requirements for hosting major cricket events and competitions.”
The first phase of the project, including a main cricket oval and seating for 4,000 spectators plus additional temporary seating, is due to be completed 2028.
Welcoming the news, Deutrom said: “Today’s announcement is absolutely fantastic. It is a huge tribute to everybody involved at all levels in Irish cricket who have got us to the stage whereby the government genuinely regards us as a sport of national significance worthy of major investment.
“For me, 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.
“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.”
He added that the new stadium would also ensure “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”.
Deutrom added: “Yes, it's going to take time to get there - likely three, maybe even four years, until we begin to use it, but today’s announcement fires the starting pistol on the project.
“It will enable us to sweat our assets more - getting more bums on seats, generating more revenue to invest back into the sport. And, of course, it means we're going to be using much less temporary infrastructure, which means we can put that money instead into people and programmes - and allow us to focus investment into club and regional facilities and infrastructure through our new club fund - to help grow the game.”