Kingsmen Global Sports Group and the State of Illinois Leaders have unveiled plans for a new cricket stadium and training facilities. Designed, built and operated by Kingsmen Global Sports Group, it will be the first cricket development in the region.
In a joint statement Illinois Leaders said, “Cricket has an already established fan base across the US, and with the country set to host the T20 World Cup in 2024, and the continuing professionalization of domestic competition, this fan base looks set to grow exponentially.”
A public-private partnership, created by Monty Saiyed of Vibrant Media Group and Khurram Syed of International Cricket Management Corp LLC, was agreed upon alongside Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro, State Representatives Fred Crespo and Nabeela Syed, and Mayor of Hanover Park, Rodney Craig.
The joint statement continued, “We see a huge opportunity for cricket to become a major sport in the US and this development will put Chicago as a number one US cricketing destination, attracting top players and fans from around the world.”
The partnership will work closely with Kingsmen, who says it will incorporate community, leisure and entertainment facilities to support the growing South Asian community of Chicago’s north-west suburbs.
Work is expected to begin on stage one of the venue development within the next six months, with a view to potentially host T20 World Cup matches, set to be jointly hosted by USA and West Indies in 2024.
This will be Kingsmen’s first venue development, in a series of planned venue developments across the US.
Kingsmen says such venue development is key to ‘supercharging’ the growth of cricket in the US, supporting mass participation and embedding cricket into local communities.
The new venue is expected to provide sufficient facilities to accommodate the expected demand generated by this decision, for training and playing facilities, and an accessible pathway for local children and youth into professional sport.
Kingsmen says it has assembled a team of advisors with deep global experience in game development, administration, venue design, and operations.
It also noted a sustainable development philosophy at the heart of the project, designed to set a benchmark in environmental outcomes. It has already engaged environmental advisors Minus 2 Degrees (M2D) to lead this aspect of the development.
