UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a £35 million (€40.8m) investment to boost grassroots cricket over the next five years. The package will enable the construction of 16 new all-weather cricket domes in cities due to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030. Each dome will be built within diverse communities where figures show low levels of physical activity.
The funding will also help extend England and Wales Cricket Board’s primary and secondary schools program to get 930,000 young people to play cricket over the next five years, including 80,000 children with special educational needs. The investment includes £14 million (€16.3m) towards accessible cricket, including for children with special education needs and disabilities and for young people of African and Caribbean heritage.
The total investment is expected to deliver around 2,500 pieces of new equipment to every school involved in the program.
The plan is part of a broader governmental sports strategy that aims to get 3.5 million more people active by 2030, including one million young people.
