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City Hall Pitches 34,000-Seat Cricket Stadium in Van Cortlandt Park

In reply to StumpCam

If MLC takes off, it might their while to consider a permanent stadium as MINY needs a home ground.

In reply to googley

Like the Indians got Mayor Adams in their pocket! First, they got Diwali as a Holiday, now a Cricket Stadium!

In reply to StumpCam Why not Staten Island, what is happening at the cricket and Polo ground.

In reply to camos

AFAIK, Van Corlandt Park has been designated for cricket whether a stadium is built or not!

In reply to StumpCam

A little history: Van Corlandt himself when he deeded the land that is now the historic park, he wrote in the deed something to the effect about what a pleasure it will be to see little boys playing cricket and running in this land.

In reply to Emir

Yes, indeed something to that effect!

In reply to StumpCam

You might not have known but one of the Mayor’s right hand is a high ranking NYPD official who happens to be also Jamaican, so lots of Caribbean influence around the Mayor.

In reply to Emir

Van Corlandt deeded the land in late 19th century for the purpose for cricket. The
same with land deeded for such in Parsippany in New Jersey.
However over the last century cricket authorities never pursued the matter as they
should and Van Corlandt Park cricket areas were gradually and some of the cricket
fields were put to other use.
It was a thriving area for the game as late as the 1970s and several matches would be played simultaneously
there on Saturdays and Sundays.
I am not sure if Marine Park in Brooklyn with several cricket grounds has a similar history of deeded
land for the purpose of cricket.
The situation was similar in Parsippany..When Christy Todd Whitman was Governor of New Jersey she
was confronted by people in the know when she chopped off some of the existing cricket field
at one end to construct another baseball area at the other end of the cricket field making very
much smaller for cricket.
They did make adjustment however and preserve the field although the once well
appointed pavilion which had become an eyesore was never rehabbed and remains in
disrepair and ugly.
So while the WILL remains in effect that cricket must be played there and they still do,the
largely unkempt cricket field is bordered at both ends with nice baseball fields and other
recreation areas.
It was a pleasure to go to play in Parsippany even in the 90s but the difference between
the cricket and baseball fields was stark.
Cricket was once the game prior to advent of Pro Baseball in the USA after the Civil War.
and two excellent cricket fields still exist in the Philadelphia at the Germantown Cricket Club and
Philadelphia Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill
A third and the most wonderful venue is the Merion Cricket Club in the suburb. All are privately owned
and cricket is still played there in early spring and give a reminder of what the game was like back then.
However the wonderful grounds are used mainly for lawn tennis throughout the summer.
Because of Anti Trust laws, the venues have to keep 'cricket' in their name and play some kind of cricket
at the venues.
As for Van Cortlandt Park, it would be ideal to have an international cricket facility there.New York City
is the biggest City in the world not to have a facility to host Olympic Games, so a cricket stadium
would be most welcomed.
It is good to see cricket being put on the map again in USA. One man I knew who would be
pleased is the late Roy Sweeney who used his knowledge of the Van Cortlandt deeded trust to cajole
some City officials to construct a field exclusively for cricket and that resulted in the Gateway
facility on The Beltway in Queens/Brooklyn on the way to JFK.

I was part of the Sweeney private organization for cricket and he ,independent of the Cricket Boards
in New York State/City did more for the game than all the League Boards and personnel.
He had planned to get bigger things done in NY City for cricket,not the least an International cricket
facility..
Sweeney was also well known and counted many West Indies players as close friends, including Brian Lara.
The authorities should really rename Gateway park as the Roy Sweeney Cricket Ground.

I hope the cricket takes off in NYC and USA but that may not be much good news for the West Indies Board
its future or its game.

In reply to hubert

Correct, a couple points:

The British did everything to kill cricket in the USA during its hey day. A fast bowler Tyson was as fast as the very best back then. The term sticky wicket, was coined in Boston which was one of the strongest cricket outpost in the USA.

During the 1950's through the late 60's, the NYT sports pages has side by side cricket and baseball coverage.

Cricket remained really big in NY, Mass, Conn and PA.

In reply to Slipfeeler

I can assure you, this is not the case.

Sadly, Afro American West Indians, have dumped cricket once they become assimilated- their children more identify with Afro Americans, in contrast to the children of South Asian Americans, who stick with cricket.

Adams wants a cricket stadium because he is a smart leader and a cricket stadium will make NYC more globally competitive. The city physical aging infrastructure, started the rebuild process in the late 1980's- yes believe it, wants to recapture its former glory as many cities across the world have moved way ahead.

A cricket stadium in NYC will give it just that- it makes smart business sense with a massive tri state market.

It would be good for cricket to have CPL matches here and even test and ODI matches that can hardly attract 100 people back home

In reply to Emir

The then ICC, Imperial Cricket Conference took the unusual view sometime just prior to the
1st World War(I think 1910) to concentrate International cricket to the British empire thereby dealing the
fatal blow to USA cricket.That eventually led to more attention for the West Indies and New Zealand and India
becoming full members mid 1920s and early 1930s.
Had USA been granted Test Status they would have vaulted above South Africa as the main competitor to Australia and England.

Exchanges became much rarer..Prior to that the game was dealth huge blows with the introduction and growth
of Professional Baseball with the first pro team being Cincinnatti Red Legs after the Civil war and as the game became
popular in the tradition of the USA way, the advent of Lawn Tennis found favour with the grand and rich private clubs
such as Meion CC ,Philadelphia CC and Germantown CC. Other clubs in Philadelphia such as Frankford CC and another
in North Philadelphia all well appointed, went kaput in the late 1800s.
The venue of the North Philadelphia eventually became the home for professional baseball teams,the A's and
the Phillies.
The three remaining clubs, Merion,Philadelphia and Germantown also had golf courses and they still compete
in annual contests .Merion was one of the first to host the US Open and did so again this century after prolonged absence because of its rustic
ways and course still holds to the old ways by not putting flags at its holes but something like an upside down elongated basket.
It drew much fun for the top pros including Woods,Nickelson et al when they played the Open there.

While cricket was at the peak,the game was reported on in daily newspapers much as how it is(was like the Senior Cup,BCA
or Case Cup and T@T club matches.
It must not be forgotten that the First International cricket contest was between Canada and USA in New York City around 1845 which
predates the Inaugural Test in 1877 at Melbourne between England and Australia.

When New York City lost its venues everything was tuned to Philadelphia and the Philadelphians carried
the banner even defeating the WI in late 1890s and had frequent successful tours of England where they held their own
against Counties. They even toured Jamaica early 20th century.
But the Philadelphians would also entertain and beat Australian touring teams to England on their way
to England and and on their return home.
Such events declined after the 1920s and the game gradually lost its lustre and stature was kept alive by
immigrants till now and as you pointed out,reporting went awry mid 20th century.

Once Mayor Adams wants an International Venue in the Bronx it will happen as all he has to do is to get with with the
Governor as the Deeded property of Van Cortland should be in the archives at Albany and by working with the State
as chief financier and with NYC as caretaker, it could happen if the WILL and Commitment are real.

In reply to Slipfeeler

Eric Adams is interested in getting re-elected.For the past 15 years, he has been attending numerous Caribbean-american events and this Labor Day Sunday I fully expect him to be present at Guyana Day.This has nothing to do with individuals in his Administration of Jamaican,Guyanese or West Indian backgrounds.Adams is not in sync with many West Indians due to his approach to crime which is different to how West Indians see crime.I know several people on the Mayor's gravy train and indeed there are a lot of West Indians.The reality is that if you look at the amount of people of West Indian,Indian,Pakistani and other cricket playing nations origin, it constitutes a very large group so it makes sense to push for a cricket stadium.

In reply to StumpCam

He doesn't want a cricket stadium, he wants scaffolding.

In reply to hubert

I've heard this sort of stuff before, but can you provide any evidence that the formation of the ICC was conceived with the intent to exclude America or damage the American game? Further, what evidence suggests that the Americans in the early part of the 20th century were interested in playing representative games against other national teams?

The ground had better be designed to facilitate the rampaging crowds of aficionados that will undoubtedly show up to see exciting 5-day test cricket in NYC!!!

Played cricket in the Commonwealth League for many a year in the early eighties. Two leagues used to play out of Van Cortlandt. There was an extra ground a little further up by the stables.

In reply to seaegg99 Just think access by cars will be a nightmare, especially during Yankees home games.

In reply to KTom
You could perhaps find info by research into the Imperial cricket conference and its
actions in the =early part of the 20th century. Wisden could be a source. By that time around
the cricket was waning in USA.
Stop over visits by Australian teams had ceased. While there was not a national USA Association, the
cricket was then confined to internal contests in two areas,Philadelphia and New York.
And the Philadelphian Team made a visit to Jamaica which was probably their last
overseas venture around 1910/11. A cricket archive could confirm that.
The game was not encouraged and tours to England to play counties ceased too with the
advent of WW1 and ICC's lack of encouragement to USA cricket.

The 3 Tests countries then arranged a Triangular Test series in 1912 in England.
It meant that the outreach was extended to get the game more within the Empire
and so MCC' the standard bearer for overseas venture was more to encourage and spread
he game in the Empire.
New Zealand ,West Indies and India were earmarked fr=or such as the game was very
popular in the latter two ,if not the foremost which embraced Rugby more than cricket.
However following WW1, tours to these countries by the MCC were made to bring their
game up to standard with the view to granting Test status.
The final test of such was in 1926 MCC's tour of the West Indies when the MCC played three unofficial
Tests in Barbados,British Guinana and Trinidad which confirmed the readiness for full membership which
was granted that summer to both WI and New Zealand.
West Indies had made a great impression on their 1923 tour of England which resulted in the MCC
venture in 1926 for that final test of approval.
West Indies with their new status played their inaugural Test in 1928 in England and New Zealand in 29-30 when Two
Test teams toured both both WI and NZ.
India followed a few years later in 1932. I think full membership was granted to them in 1930 and their ice breaker Test was in
1932.New Zealand having toured England in 1931 for its first Test there.
So from early 20thcentury nothing was done to encourage cricket outside of the empire and in any event,the growth
of baseball which surmounted the game in USA of its shorter time was used by the USA in its ventures overseas to
spread it in countries that were not playing cricket.Whereever the USa went in its adventurerism after WWI ,they took baseball with them
and spread it in various countries. Japan was an example,Cuba, Dominican Republic and Panama which they created and the Phillipines as well.
George Headley who was born in Panama played baseball as a kid there before he was sent to live in Jamaica where he found cricket.

It must be noted that originally cricket was the elite game played by the elites and the upper crusts and was also a lettered
sport in Ivy league Colleges such a Princeton,Yale and Harvard and also among elite private high schools such as Germantown Academy and Haverford College
who all played in their own league. Haverford ,still has the distinction as being the oldeest continuous cricket playing entity i n the USA and is a stone's
throw from Merion CC and hosts the best cricket Library ,second only to Lord's in the world. It bis thye Morris cricket Library,
I had to do some research there to help out statisticians in England when i was involved in cricket here in Philadelphia.They still play cricket there at their Cope's field having been doing so so since 1838. Cricket was big and of a high quality standard back in the day as the records against Counties and Australian touring teams
attest. In fact one of the best allrouders in the game was a man named King of the Philadelphians. Can't remember his first name but if you research
Philadelphians cricket he will be prominent.
What it needed in face of competition and change in tastes in Lawn tennis and Pro baseball was encouragement from the ICC through outreach by the MCC tours
and visits to sustain what pertained prior to the emergence of other American sports. The ICC then did not care.

But if you want evidence of the part played by ICC ,some research would be a very useful exercise for you.
As late as 1960 when South Africa threatened and actually left the Commonwealth there was a move a foot
within the ICC to downgrade their Tests to unofficial status but that threat was never implemented ,perhaps because
many other newer countries well outside the Empire/commonwealth were being accorded Associate or other membership status by the International Cricket Conference.

The then'Bibe of cricket' Wisden in old annual editions used to record snippets of the game worldwide. The Cricketer International only came about
after the 1st World War but many also be a source of record if one can find access its archives or get hold of those invaluable early editions.
I long ago lost my cricket library and a treasure trove of some old Wisdens ,some from the 19th century.
While at it you could research how the West Indies came to be and who really brought it into existence.
Good luck

In reply to hubert

Some good points and historical information.

They have been talking about building a stadium in the NYC area since the 80’s when I played in Van Cortland park. I can remember a lot of talk about building one at Floyd Bennet Field and if I remember correctly, there may have been a photo-op ground breaking ceremony. Of course, for various reasons, nothing has happened. I suspect the mismanagement and the infighting for control of the game in the US has something to do with it. The stadium might become a reality now given the rise of T20 and the various franchise leagues.

BTW: There’s a Roy Sweeney cricket oval not far from Floyd Bennet field, along the Belt Parkway.

Also, many years ago I mentioned to a coworker, a big golf fan, that Merion was originally set up as a cricket club. He had no idea. He knows Merion for the great golf course.

In reply to StumpCam


There is a huge unused field at the Whitestone Bridge on the right side of Trump's Golf Club!

In reply to hubert
Was it that ground that the match with Int'l players that Gavaskar told the joke about was played?
As Gavaskar told it, the match was organized by a Caribbean-Murcan guy. One of the 'stars' not familiar with Windians went to the organizer worried about what if the check bounced.
Dude's reply- If it bounce hook it maan!

In reply to XDFIX

I attended a cricket match there about 17 years ago which was organized by the late Basil Butcher and there were several First class cricketers like Baichan and Pydanna.Kanhai was supposed to be there but did not make it.

In reply to XDFIX

Are you sure it’s unused? I played there a few times many years ago. It’s a nice location. Access is not the most convenient though given the bridge traffic right there.

About 20 years ago, Shiv, Sarwan and a bunch of West Indian players played in a match there.

In reply to Titleist

There was serious talk about Floyd Bennett and there are a few fields within it but I think
the main drawback was that the entire complex had some Military/reserves connection
and that was a the major snag.
Would have been an ideal place too.

In reply to Brerzerk
Could be but it also could be the ground in Philly at Prior CC.
Sunil played there. But that is funny ..never heard that one

In reply to camos

Traffic will always be a constant heading into a great city, but remember most ODI's and T-20 will be day/night games, so it will help.

An international cricket stadium in NYC will be . last remaining thing the great city is missing- it is a fantastic business decision by the mayor.

For tourism and to keep with other major cities in the world-

Keep in mind, the planned physical infrastructure works which started in the 80's is continuing full pace ahead and it will continue for another 30 years- there are at least 200 massive capital works either underway, is completed or coming soon- bridges, tunnels, roads, sewage rebuilding, rebuilding of blighted areas, bicycle only roads, electric vehicle only cause-ways etc

Think of the new planned train services, from the tristate area into NYC, safe, efficient and affordable. A person can leave CNJ into NYC in 20 minutes with minimum fuss- coming soon

In reply to XDFIX

That’s good enough for Curry Goat and League matches. Not ideal for a stadium!
I actually played a match there in ‘80s against the current Tallawahs owner of which he scored a century!

Floyd Bennett Field and Van Cortlandt are good locations, but less than ideal!
My ideal location would have been Randall’s Island with the Manhattan Skyline in the wbackground where the old Downing Stadium was and now replaced by Icahn Stadium for Track Meets. There was a cricket field adjacent to Amtrak Railroad that played at in the’80s. Don’t know if it’s still there!

In reply to StumpCam

Is Floyd Bennett Field owned by the city or is it by the Army Corps of Engineers, we played there in the mid-70s

In reply to tc1

ChatGPT:

In reply to Emir

Use lands in and around Giants Stadium.

In reply to hubert
Sweeney did do a lot for Cricket but it was money first and cricket a distant second.

In reply to hubert

A

An excellent cricket ground back in the 70s as well as commonwealth club grounds.