TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — It might look like 'just a field' right now, but in a few months, the first regulation-size cricket field in the Midwest will be hosting games in Troy.
This decision was decades in the making, as many fans of the sport spent time talking to lawmakers, teaching them about the sport, and growing excitement it.
“I love the economic factors that come with it, the excitement on some of these kids' faces is what’s really going to make it special for those of us that worked so hard to make this happen,” says Troy Mayor Ethan Baker.
President of Michigan Youth Cricket Academy Vinodh Mudaliar says the excitement over the sport is growing, with clubs popping up all over the area in local high schools.
“Troy high and a few other schools have established a club," says Mudaliar. "So, in fact, 2 years in a row the high schoolers have formed a Michigan statewide tournament at a high school level.”
According to USA Cricket, there are only half a dozen regulation-size fields in the United States, with the field in Troy, being just the seventh.
“It has been 19 years that anyone from Michigan has represented the country. So having this big drought of producing talent and if we aren’t able to produce such talent it’s because of infrastructure,“ says Mudaliar.
While the sport is still in its infant stages in the US, cricket has the second-largest fan base in the world. An interest in the sport Vinodh says he is working to grow in our neck of the woods.
“Now we have more like 300-some kids from Michigan playing cricket, so it took years to grow the grass roots cricket but having this field is going to explode the growth of cricket in Michigan, for sure," he says.
Baker, says having one of the few regulation-size fields in the country will bring a lot of attention to the city and boost the local economy.
“We talk about bringing the tax dollars back in from Lansing and Detroit and I promise that’s going to be a good investment for the city of Troy because all of those people are going to be coming into the city of Troy, eating at our restaurants, staying in our hotels and motels and shopping at our retail as well," Baker says. "It’s really a good thing for the economy.”
The field is expected to be finished by the spring of 2025.
