Major League Cricket Concludes Successful Week in Broward County – The Boca Raton Tribune

Advertisements

Advertisements
Major League Cricket concluded a week of action in Lauderhill on Sunday. It was the three-year old league’s first visit to Florida.
Advertisements
Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill was the first purpose-built cricket ground in the country, having been completed in 2007. The venue has been upgraded by Broward County in the past 12 months after torrential rains washed out three of four scheduled ICC T20 World Cup matches last June in South Florida.
Advertisements
Major League Cricket came to southeast Florida thanks to a commitment to the sport from the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and the county’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“We’re delighted to be here for the first time. We were here a few months ago with World Cricket League which we ran for them,” Johnny Grave the CEO of Major League Cricket told The Boca Raton Tribune.
Grave indicated that the facility serves as a model of cricket infrastructure the league would like to follow in five of its six current markets (only Dallas/Fort Worth has a Cricket-specific stadium and that was a remodeled baseball ground). As a result, the Broward County venue is likely to see more matches in MLC and other competitions until more purpose-built infrastructure is built around the country.
Advertisements
Last summer the USA Cricket National Team captivated domestic audiences by advancing to the final eight in the ICC T20. Harmeet Singh (who plays for the Seattle Orcas in MLS), the US International who was one of the American stars of last summer’s World Cup told us that the Broward County pitch is one of the favorites for USA players and constitutes a “home ground” for the National Team.
The level of cricket in MLC would place it among the best franchise-based cricket competitions in the world. Despite the uneven weather during the week, the wicket proved challenging at Broward County Stadium making scoring difficult and put a premium on strategic batting.
The MLC boasts robust media operation which resembles in its build out what one would see in the NCAA Basketball tournament or various FIFA events in soccer. But the lack of a reliable domestic broadcast partner is holding the league back.
Advertisements
The competition is broadcast on pay TV app Willow, which specializes in Cricket coverage. MLC’s media team has partially offset the clunky broadcast arrangement by building an outstanding presence on YouTube and delivering to media members, myself included quick post match highlight clips, quotes and other match facts. Additionally, MLC has secured media rights on top tier broadcasters in Crickets biggest markets- India, Australia and the UK. The level of professionalism is striking (and dwarfs what I saw in the infant stages of soccer as a professional club game in this country) and likely will help the league in tougher markets like southern Florida.
MLC’s first competitive matches in Florida were a success and hopefully this week will build a strong foundation for professional franchise cricket in southeast Florida.
SPORT NEWS
Advertisements
 Stay Up-to-Date:
Subscribe for Sport News Here to receive the latest updates directly in your inbox.
Advertisements
Hot this week
The Boca Raton Tribune has been a cornerstone of local journalism for over 18 years, delivering reliable news and engaging content to the Boca Raton community. Our commitment extends across print, online platforms, and video interviews, reflecting our dedication to comprehensive coverage. We actively support local events, an non profit organizations. We value our readers and partners, ensuring we remain a trusted source of news and community connection.
Contact us: [email protected]
Buiilt by Heizer Marketing
Advertisements

source