Irish cricket stadium 'on track' for World Cup

Ireland's new cricket stadium is "on track" to be ready for the 2030 men's T20 World Cup, says Cricket Ireland chief executive Sarah Keane.

The stadium at Abbottstown is primarily being funded by the Irish government through Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport.

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Keane and Sport Ireland chief executive Dr Úna May and chair John Foley were joined by Irish politicians to turn the first sod at the site in the north-west suburb of Dublin, on Tuesday.

The venue will have permanent seating for 4,240 spectators with the ability to bring in temporary stands for major events, which will expand the total capacity to 12,000.

There has been a slight delay in construction amid some final discussions with architects FaulknerBrowns on minor design features of the stadium, but Keane is confident the project will be delivered on time.

"It's progressing well. I'm confident that we're on track," she told BBC Sport.

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"All the plans have now been agreed. We think we probably need to just do another look at that again, because you have to keep up with things as they evolve.

"But we're actually at a really good stage."

Construction firm John Sisk were made the preferred tender for the project which will be delivered in two stages with the seating, high-performance centre and a pavilion built in the first phase.

Work will begin on installing a square in the autumn with the International Cricket Council keen for the playing surface to have sufficient time to bed in before the tournament.

Keane added: "I'm very grateful for the Department of Sport, Sport Ireland and the government, because I think people have also heard what we've said in terms of deadlines and around grass needing to grow.

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"We've still got an awful lot of work to do to get this up and running and ready for testing in 2029 with us co-hosting games in the men's T20 World Cup in 2030."

BBC Sport also understands the stadium will be shared with other sports to ensure the facility is used throughout the year and not just during the summer months.

Cricket Ireland are being leased the land on a long-term basis and will be the main tenant but access will be granted to other Irish sports organisations who can use the outfield outside of the cricket season.

'Game changer' for Irish cricket

The construction of a permanent stadium for cricket in Ireland is seen as a landmark moment for the sport given the substantial cost of temporary infrastructure.

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Ireland's senior men's and women's teams currently use grounds in Malahide, Clontarf, Stormont, and Bready for international matches.

Keane said the stadium will be a "game changer" for Irish cricket given the majority of home fixtures hosted by Cricket Ireland run at a loss.

"We have a lot of resource at the moment that goes into actually creating that [temporary] infrastructure, sorting it all out," she explained.

"When we open the doors on this facility, it will revolutionise how Cricket Ireland operates at every level and, in turn, impact Irish cricket from international to grassroots."

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Cricket Ireland officials visited the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand and Hampshire's Utilita Bowl in Southampton to gain inspiration for the new ground's design.

A white-ball series against England is understood to have been informally pencilled in as the first international fixtures at stadium towards the end of the summer in 2029.

"Ireland has produced world-class athletes across many sports. This centre gives cricket the infrastructure to match that ambition," said Sport Ireland chair Foley.

Keane believes a dedicated cricket stadium located on the Sport Ireland Campus will give the game greater prominence in the Irish consciousness and "more teams will come" to play fixtures.

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"I think it will give our cricket community and our high-performance athletes, male and female, a real sense that Ireland believes in them and that they're an important sport here," Keane added.

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity to showcase Ireland on the world stage."

Meanwhile, total capacity for Ireland's white-ball series against India at Stormont will be capped at around 4,500 spectators.

The T20 internationals on 26 and 28 June are sold out and interest in the game has increased with 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi poised to make his India debut against the Irish.

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Additional seating will be provided through temporary stands for the two T20 internationals, but there are no plans to increase capacity further at the Civil Service Cricket Club Ground because of the limited availability of suitable structures for the venue.

Cricket Ireland are confident the series against India will go ahead despite recent rioting in Belfast which forced them to postpone an inter-provincial T20 series in Lisburn.

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