GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Editor's note: The video published above is a WFAA story from 2021 about cricket's popularity growing in Collin County.
Major League Cricket (MLC) is coming to North Texas, and work on the Lone Star State team's $20 million renovated stadium has begun.
Yep, you read that correctly!
The league announced the timeline of completion for Grand Prairie Stadium, which will play host to MLC's Texas franchise. The stadium is using $20 million to convert the baseball diamond, formerly the home of the Texas AirHogs, into a cricket field with a natural grass turf wicket.
"I am excited to see the vision of bringing Major League Cricket to the US and to North Texas is beginning with the construction of the Grand Prairie Stadium," said Anurag Jain, Managing Partner of Perot Jain, LP and Chairman of Access Healthcare. "What has been a grassroots sport with tremendous support, will now have a home stadium with world-class professional matches for many fans to watch. It will be exciting to watch a tremendous rise in interest for the game among North Texas sports fans once the stadium opens."
Here is a rendering of what the new stadium is expected to look like, courtesy of Major League Cricket and the city of Grand Prairie:
According to HKS, the Dallas-based project architect, the newly-converted stadium will feature 1,000 club and premium seats, with the ability to expand to a capacity of over 15,000 for major events. HKS is also known for designing other marquee venues including AT&T Stadium in Arlington and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Some of the improvements now underway include: refurbishment and enhancement of the stadium’s 13 luxury suites and Hall of Fame and Officer Club Rooms, installation of premium seating experiences around the field, and a renovation and reopening of the stadium’s sports bar facility.
MLC said in a release that training nets, batting lanes, two additional outside turf fields and further enhancements to the venue will be made in subsequent renovation phases.
The Texas team's identity and launch plans will be announced later in 2022, according to league officials.
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