OT: Washington Freedom Cricket Stadium

[Pablo]

Mason’s academic rigor and growth highlight BOV meeting

The Board of Visitors approved several actions and watched a number of presentations during its Nov. 30 meeting.

www.gmu.edu

"George Mason University is considering a partnership with Major League Cricket (MLC) to build a state-of-the-art facility that would be home to both the Mason baseball team and the Washington Freedom cricket franchise.

Mason Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Ken Walsh and Sanjay Govil, owner of the Washington Freedom MLC team, made a joint presentation to the university’s Board of Visitors on Nov. 30. The BOV will further consider the partnership at a Dec. 14 meeting.

The stadium would be the first step toward planned growth on the western side of the Fairfax Campus.

'We see the overall West Campus development as a long-term goal, as a means of generating new funding for the university, and enhancing campus engagement for our faculty, staff, and students,' Walsh said."

. . .

 

[Pablo]

MLC

"The pageantry of America’s birthday will adorn Major League Cricket’s return to play next summer, with the competition set to open its second season on the Fourth of July. The window of play for the premier T20 tournament in the United States will conclude by early August, with the exact dates and schedule of play to be announced in early 2024.

'The tremendous success of the inaugural Major League Cricket season provides a perfect platform to propel American cricket to even greater heights in 2024,' said Justin Geale, Tournament Director, Major League Cricket. 'We expect to see even more world class players taking part in season two of Major League Cricket, creating an incredible summer for the sport in America along with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.'

All six teams who competed in MLC’s historic inaugural season will feature again in 2024. Matches are set to return to Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, TX and at additional venues to be named later."

 

[Pablo]

Groups, Schedule Announced for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Dallas will host the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket tournament with New York picked to host the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan this summer. The opening mat…

www.sportstravelmagazine.com

Modular stadiums will be used to increase facilities for the T20 World Cup for “rapid cost-effective installation of infrastructure whilst maintaining safety, comfort, and aesthetics.” An agreement has been reached for the construction of a 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park, a sports and events park in Nassau County. Grand Prairie and Broward County will also use modular stadiums to expand seating, media and hospitality areas. Several other venues have been identified for pre-event matches and training including George Mason University in Washington D.C., which is the home for Major League Cricket team Washington Freedom.

 

[Pablo]

Virtual townhall for updates on West Campus

George Mason University will host a virtual townhall on Monday, January 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to present a West Campus update for community feedback, comments, and questions.

www.gmu.edu

"The update will include members of the Washington Freedom and details on a proposed temporary stadium that would bring cricket, the second-most watched sport in the world, to the region, strengthen the local economy, and improve the university’s baseball program facilities.

Attendees can use the following link and do not need to pre-register to attend the virtual discussion. Please enter the Zoom meeting with your video off and mics muted. Questions and comments will be shared through the Chat feature. Zoom link.

This Zoom meeting can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees and will be recorded and posted to construction.gmu.edu."

 

[EXpatriot13]

Virtual townhall for updates on West Campus

George Mason University will host a virtual townhall on Monday, January 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to present a West Campus update for community feedback, comments, and questions.

www.gmu.edu

"George Mason University will host a virtual townhall on Monday, January 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to present a West Campus update for community feedback, comments, and questions.

The update will include members of the Washington Freedom and details on a proposed temporary stadium that would bring cricket, the second-most watched sport in the world, to the region, strengthen the local economy, and improve the university’s baseball program facilities.

Attendees can use the following link and do not need to pre-register to attend the virtual discussion. Please enter the Zoom meeting with your video off and mics muted. Questions and comments will be shared through the Chat feature. Zoom link.

This Zoom meeting can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees and will be recorded and posted to construction.gmu.edu."

Really intrigued by this, will tune in.

We need to see more details, but does a temporary cricket stadium really improve facilities/infrastructure for the baseball program?

 

[Pablo]

Really intrigued by this, will tune in.

We need to see more details, but does a temporary cricket stadium really improve facilities/infrastructure for the baseball program?

I assume the article is saying that bringing cricket to Mason will result in these improvements.

 

[GMU79]

Virtual townhall for updates on West Campus

George Mason University will host a virtual townhall on Monday, January 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to present a West Campus update for community feedback, comments, and questions.

www.gmu.edu

"The update will include members of the Washington Freedom and details on a proposed temporary stadium that would bring cricket, the second-most watched sport in the world, to the region, strengthen the local economy, and improve the university’s baseball program facilities.

Attendees can use the following link and do not need to pre-register to attend the virtual discussion. Please enter the Zoom meeting with your video off and mics muted. Questions and comments will be shared through the Chat feature. Zoom link.

This Zoom meeting can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees and will be recorded and posted to construction.gmu.edu."

Temporary. Hmm?

 

[Pablo]

Temporary. Hmm?

It appears that the plan is for the Washington Freedom to play at the temporary stadium this summer.

 

[EXpatriot13]

I assume the article is saying that bringing cricket to Mason will result in these improvements.

Yep, my question is more on the "temporary stadium" side of things. What does that temporary infrastructure look like? How temporary is it? What's the plan for a permanent facility?

If this becomes a long-term partnership with modern facilities then I can absolutely see the value it brings to the baseball program, but I can't imagine a temporary "stadium" and playing surface w/ module bleachers etc. is that much of an upgrade over what the baseball program currently has to work with.

 

[Falco]

Yep, my question is more on the "temporary stadium" side of things. What does that temporary infrastructure look like? How temporary is it? What's the plan for a permanent facility?

If this becomes a long-term partnership with modern facilities then I can absolutely see the value it brings to the baseball program, but I can't imagine a temporary "stadium" and playing surface w/ module bleachers etc. is that much of an upgrade over what the baseball program currently has to work with.

Would not surprise me if Mason got the short end of the stick with this arrangement.

 

[Pablo]

Yep, my question is more on the "temporary stadium" side of things. What does that temporary infrastructure look like? How temporary is it? What's the plan for a permanent facility?

If this becomes a long-term partnership with modern facilities then I can absolutely see the value it brings to the baseball program, but I can't imagine a temporary "stadium" and playing surface w/ module bleachers etc. is that much of an upgrade over what the baseball program currently has to work with.

Unless there is a delay, the permanent stadium should be ready for the 2025 cricket season.

Would not surprise me if Mason got the short end of the stick with this arrangement.

It would certainly surprise me if this is the case given how much Major League Cricket has been spending on these stadiums.

 

[MasonFanatic]

There's some big money behind Major League Cricket, this isn't going to end the way the softball stadium did.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Unless there is a delay, the permanent stadium should be ready for the 2025 cricket season.

Lol. A permanent stadium that hasn't broken ground being ready in ~15 months will be the most barebones thing you've ever seen. Better off not doing it at that point. Getting the sense that Mason is making a real boneheaded decision with this thing.

 

[EXpatriot13]

I doubt we hear anything about a permanent stadium/facilities for awhile. There may be a lot of money behind Major League Cricket but their actions show that they are very much in a "test the market" phase, which obviously is the right thing to do at this point vs. constructing a bunch of permanent stadiums and not having anyone show up or care.

There was a post in the 'Facilities and Arena' thread that mentioned the temporary cricket stadium on West Campus would be dismantled following the MLC matches this summer, with the playing surface then being converted to a baseball field. So in the short term, this doesn't appear to do much of anything for the baseball program.

Hopefully more answers on Monday.

 

[Pablo]

Lol. A permanent stadium that hasn't broken ground being ready in ~15 months will be the most barebones thing you've ever seen. Better off not doing it at that point. Getting the sense that Mason is making a real boneheaded decision with this thing.

Perhaps, you should tell this to the City of Richmond which plans to build a baseball stadium for the Flying Squirrels and vcu in a relatively short time frame - https://richmond.com/sports/profess...cle_1c1d71a8-bad4-11ee-a371-37822dfed76d.html

"The grass field next to The Diamond where a proposed ballpark is projected to stand currently offers no sign that construction is imminent. That's likely to change in the not-too-distant future, according to the city's chief administrative officer, Lincoln Saunders.

'I could see a groundbreaking in the near-ish future ... April-to-June-ish timeline,' Saunders said Wednesday. 'But also, we've just got some things we need to get done, and we're going to make sure we get it done right.'

Saunders said the city and ballpark developers are shooting for 'overlapping and parallel tracks to make sure we can hit our delivery date.' That will involve simultaneously addressing multiple aspects of the project - construction and business - according to Saunders.

Opening for the 2026 season remains the goal, Saunders said. It's one that's achievable, he added."

I doubt we hear anything about a permanent stadium/facilities for awhile. There may be a lot of money behind Major League Cricket but their actions show that they are very much in a "test the market" phase, which obviously is the right thing to do at this point vs. constructing a bunch of permanent stadiums and not having anyone show up or care.

IMO, the market was sufficiently tested last summer and MLC is now fully committed to completing these stadiums.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Perhaps, you should tell this to the City of Richmond which plans to build a baseball stadium for the Flying Squirrels and vcu in a relatively short time frame - https://richmond.com/sports/profess...cle_1c1d71a8-bad4-11ee-a371-37822dfed76d.html

"The grass field next to The Diamond where a proposed ballpark is projected to stand currently offers no sign that construction is imminent. That's likely to change in the not-too-distant future, according to the city's chief administrative officer, Lincoln Saunders.

'I could see a groundbreaking in the near-ish future ... April-to-June-ish timeline,' Saunders said Wednesday. 'But also, we've just got some things we need to get done, and we're going to make sure we get it done right.'

Saunders said the city and ballpark developers are shooting for 'overlapping and parallel tracks to make sure we can hit our delivery date.' That will involve simultaneously addressing multiple aspects of the project - construction and business - according to Saunders.

Opening for the 2026 season remains the goal, Saunders said. It's one that's achievable, he added."



IMO, the market was sufficiently tested last summer and MLC is now fully committed to completing these stadiums.

That's two years vs one year. A massive difference when it comes to something like this.

 

[Pablo]

That's two years vs one year. A massive difference when it comes to something like this.

What makes you so sure that work for the proposed Richmond baseball stadium will begin 2 years prior to the start of 2026 baseball seasons for the Flying Squirrels and vcu?

And, it appears to me that the George Mason Cricket Stadium is basically on schedule without the funding concerns that Richmond has - see screen #13: https://relations.gmu.edu/wp-conten...-Baseball-Ballpark-Presentation-4.20.23-1.pdf

 

[EXpatriot13]

And, it appears to me that the George Mason Cricket Stadium is basically on schedule without the funding concerns that Richmond has - see screen #13: https://relations.gmu.edu/wp-conten...-Baseball-Ballpark-Presentation-4.20.23-1.pdf

Technically they aren't on schedule if the Community Engagement portion of the timeline was supposed to happen in the Fall...

There's a lot of conflicting information on this project. That presentation mentions a permanent multi-use ballpark being completed by June 2025. Everything we've seen recently, including the topic of conversation for Monday's meeting, is that the focus for now is a temporary facility. That temporary facility, at least what we know of it so far, is pretty underwhelming...especially from the baseball perspective.

Consider me skeptical until we see renderings and a break-ground date for a legitimate, modern ballpark.

 

[GMU79]

Perhaps, you should tell this to the City of Richmond which plans to build a baseball stadium for the Flying Squirrels and vcu in a relatively short time frame - https://richmond.com/sports/profess...cle_1c1d71a8-bad4-11ee-a371-37822dfed76d.html

"The grass field next to The Diamond where a proposed ballpark is projected to stand currently offers no sign that construction is imminent. That's likely to change in the not-too-distant future, according to the city's chief administrative officer, Lincoln Saunders.

'I could see a groundbreaking in the near-ish future ... April-to-June-ish timeline,' Saunders said Wednesday. 'But also, we've just got some things we need to get done, and we're going to make sure we get it done right.'

Saunders said the city and ballpark developers are shooting for 'overlapping and parallel tracks to make sure we can hit our delivery date.' That will involve simultaneously addressing multiple aspects of the project - construction and business - according to Saunders.

Opening for the 2026 season remains the goal, Saunders said. It's one that's achievable, he added."



IMO, the market was sufficiently tested last summer and MLC is now fully committed to completing these stadiums.

I hate vcu, but the city of Richmond leadership has been and continues to be a slow burning dumpster fire of ineptitude and stupidity. So, if a partnership will keep the Squirrels in RVA, I'm on board.
This stadium thing has been going on since before the R-Braves left, what, 15 years ago.

 

[MasonSAE4]

What makes you so sure that work for the proposed Richmond baseball stadium will begin 2 years prior to the start of 2026 baseball seasons for the Flying Squirrels and vcu?

And, it appears to me that the George Mason Cricket Stadium is basically on schedule without the funding concerns that Richmond has - see screen #13: https://relations.gmu.edu/wp-conten...-Baseball-Ballpark-Presentation-4.20.23-1.pdf

The article says construction should begin imminently. You can't take the article at its word for the target opening date but not the construction start date. This article projects a two year construction window. Mason is projecting one for theirs.