Dubbed America’s New Stage for Sport & Spectacle, hundreds gathered near Great Wolf Lodge for the official groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming LaGrange Cricket Grounds on Thursday.
Plans for the LaGrange Cricket Grounds include a 10,000-seat multi-use professional cricket stadium that is expandable to 25,000 seats. Beyond cricket, the stadium is expected to host a diverse range of events, including sports, concerts, festivals and more. It's also big enough for a FIFA-sized soccer pitch, so cricket likely won’t be the only sport played there.
While many in the U.S. and the South are not familiar with cricket, it’s the second most popular sport in the world, with 2.5 billion fans around the world and a growing fanbase stateside. Cricket is played in over 100 countries, from India to the United Kingdom, from the Caribbean to Australia, and soon here in LaGrange.
“This isn't just about cricket,” said CEO Kaval Patel. “This is an ecosystem that we're creating, a world-class stadium designed for international competition, a boutique hotel for players, visitors and event guests, a vibrant sports bar where fans gather to cheer, eat and celebrate, retail, recreation, community events all orbiting around the beating heart of this venue. This is cricket and so much more, with matches that will bring in thousands.”
The stadium is expected to host youth academies, college competitions and even Olympic hopefuls as the site becomes a gateway to a global sport, and LaGrange becomes a name recognized far beyond Georgia.
For many, including city officials, why professional cricket would want to locate in LaGrange was surprising, but those unfamiliar are coming around.
“If you had asked me anytime in my lifetime what I envisioned for this spot, right here, this piece of land, it would have never been a cricket stadium,” said LaGrange Mayor Jim Arrington. “But we are so fortunate here in LaGrange to have something like this.”
“I don't believe we really understand the impact that this is going to have in LaGrange and Troup County, with the jobs that it's going to create, the tourists that're going to be here, the hotels that it’s going to bring and the retail and restaurants. This is really going to be a great thing for our community,” Arrington added.
Visit LaGrange President Kathy Tilley said the cricket stadium coming to LaGrange was like Christmas coming early.
“Sports tourism brings energy, pride and real economic benefit to our little city. That's why today's groundbreaking is such a tremendous moment. This new cricket and multi-sport stadium will position LaGrange on the regional, national and international stage,” Tilley said. “This facility will not only attract major sporting events, but also concerts and community gatherings, which will create new opportunities for businesses and enhance the tourist experience. It will complement our existing amenities, golf courses, pickleball courts, tennis courts, full-size fields, trails and world-class lake and reinforce our reputation as a place for visitors to come and play and stay.”
LaGrange Development Authority President Scott Malone reiterated that LaGrange is a tourism destination, which brings in money to the city and county.
“We are a tourism destination,” Malone said. “We have 3.5 million visitors a year to come to West Point Lake. We have Callaway Gardens. We have the Biblical Antiquities Center. Great Wolf Lodge has 30 to 40,000 visitors a month … tourism is a huge part of our community. It's the lifeblood of our community.”
Malone previously noted that the new stadium is also being built with private money, so no taxpayer funds or even tax abatements are being used to build the project.
For more information, visit lagrangecricket.com.
LaGrange breaks ground on new professional cricket stadium – LaGrange Daily News
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