Latest news with #EuropeanT20PremierLeague
Belfast Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Stormont cricket ground could stage T20 World Cup matches after £1million funding boost
The Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association (NICSSA) site will undergo significant changes as part of Phase 1 of a longer-term master plan aimed at redeveloping the site's sporting, health, and wellbeing facilities. The intention is to erect permanent seating at the ground, as well as broadcast facilities, which would allow top-level matches to be played there in five years' time, with Ireland already confirmed as co-hosts of the tournament alongside England, Wales and Scotland. Stormont has been the host of significant games down the years, including Ireland's victory over Zimbabwe last July. 'The NICSSA Sports Precinct is a fundamentally important venue for Irish cricket – it not only features one of our leading international grounds but provides crucial space for community and domestic representative cricket to take place,' commented Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice. "The Stormont Cricket Ground holds a great fondness for Irish fans for the many international matches it has held over the years – most notably the Test Match last year against Zimbabwe. 'Numerous reports over the years have highlighted that there is a lack of quality training and playing facilities on the island of Ireland. We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make major in-roads into resolving these issues. 'The proposed redevelopment of the NICSSA facilities is a project that the Board is fully supportive of, and it has unanimously approved a £1 million strategic investment in Phase 1 of the development. 'If you consider this project, the new Stadium at Abbottstown and our direct support for facilities upgrade proposals at Bready and Malahide, we are demonstrating our resolve to tackle the facilities and infrastructure deficits in a substantial manner.' Also agreed at the board meeting was the creation of five new hybrid pitches, three that will be at Stormont and two in Lisburn, as well as high-quality indoor and outdoor training spaces for all levels of cricket. Additional spending has also been set aside to support men's cricket after the European T20 Premier League was deferred to 2026.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom steps down after almost 19 years in the role
CRICKET Ireland Chief Executive Officer Warren Deutrom has announced he will step down from the role at the end of August . Deutrom has been at the helm of Irish Cricket for almost 19 years since December 2006. Advertisement 2 Deutrom will fulfil his CEO duties until the end of August 2 The Englishman has overseen some of Irish cricket's greatest moments During his tenure, Ireland has grown in stature in world cricket and in 2017 was Warren has been in cricket administration for almost 30 years, including stints as head of events for both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and for the England and Wales Cricket Board. He sits on the ICC Chief Executives Committee and ICC Women's Cricket Committee, is the Chair of the European T20 Premier League. He was also a member of both the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel and the Olympic Council of Ireland Disciplinary Panel, and is a former Board Director of both the Federation of Irish Sport and the European Cricket Council. Advertisement Read more on Irish sport After the board meeting where his resignation was formally advised, Warren Deutrom: "It's hard to explain my feelings since making this decision. "The role of Cricket Ireland CEO has covered more than a third of my life and two-thirds of my professional career. It has felt more like a vocation and a true labour of love than a mere job. 'The attainment of ICC Full Membership and Test status is the most significant achievement I'll look back on with pride – indeed, if the first decade of my role was about trying to achieve ICC Full Membership/Test status, the next decade has been about trying to live up to that privilege. "Today, with new ICC funding, with permanent infrastructure planned, a World Cup to co-host, a central contracts system for both men and women, and the European T20 Premier League on the horizon, I'm more confident than ever that the foundations are there to realise that new vision, so it's the right time for me to hand over the baton. Advertisement Most read in Cricket 'While the absolute highlights of the role are too numerous to mention, the most powerful memories I'll take with me are of our Irish cricket family – the good people, the kind people, the mentors, the taskmasters, the wonderful colleagues, and the countless friends I am privileged to have made along the way. "I look forward to saying a personal thanks to as many people as possible over the coming weeks.' England captain Ben Stokes gives reaction after his side's five-wicket win over India in the first Test The Chair of Cricket Ireland Brian MacNeice thanked Warren Deutrom for all his works over his nearly 19 years. He said 'The measure of success for any CEO is have they left the organisation in a better place than they found it. There is no doubt Warren has achieved that. Advertisement "It's obvious that cricket – and more specifically, Irish cricket – hasn't just been a job for Warren, but rather a passion. "He has driven some of the most significant achievements our sport has ever seen – especially the attainment of Full Membership of the ICC. "He took over an embryonic organisation, led it through an unparalleled period of growth, managed the organisation through challenges such as the economic crash and Covid, and always maintained an eye on the big picture. 'A role like this invariably demands an extraordinary level of skill, dedication, enthusiasm and selflessness, three attributes Warren has in abundance. Advertisement "He ends his tenure with not only a list of achievements, but several substantial projects in development – such as "On behalf of the Board and staff of Cricket Ireland, I thank Warren for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the role of CEO – and I wish Warren and his family all the best in the future.'
Arab News
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
A potential new dawn for cricket in Europe
Into the existing global jigsaw of T20 franchise tournaments, in which the pieces do not quite fit together, another piece has been added. The International Cricket Council has sanctioned a league in Europe, to be known as the European T20 Premier League. It is made up of a partnership between the national cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The first edition of the event will be held between July 15 and Aug. 3, 2025. This fits between the Major Cricket League in the USA, which is scheduled to run between mid-June and mid-July, and The Hundred, which runs between Aug. 5 and 31. It also avoids the 13th edition of the men's Caribbean Premier League which will be held between Aug. 14 and Sept. 21, but slightly overlaps with the Lanka Premier League, which will be played between July 1 and 21. The T20 Blast in England and Wales sprawls from the end of May until mid-September, excluding August. Four days of that schedule will clash with the ETPL in July. The concept of a European League has been long in the making. In March 2019, Cricket Scotland, Cricket Ireland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association announced the Euro T20 Slam for six teams. A player draft was held but, apparently, financial difficulties were encountered and the COVID19 outbreak ended the ambitions of the organisers. They were also responsible for the Canadian Global T20 tournament, which will enter its fourth edition in 2025. Last year, it ran from July 25 to Aug. 11. There is no association between those who were behind the Euro T20 Slam and those who are investing and planning the ETPL. As soon ICC approval was granted, none other than Abhishek Bachchan was revealed as a co-owner. Indians will need no introduction to one of Hindi/Indian cinema's leading stars and the son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan. Previously, Abhishek's involvement in sport focused on kabaddi and football, rather than cricket. In an interview with him I asked him why he had added cricket to his sporting portfolio and why in Europe rather than India. Bachchan explained that, because he was sent to boarding school in Switzerland when he was nine, he did not have the exposure to cricket that most children of his age experienced. Later, when opportunities to invest in cricket arose, he felt that he did not have the 'bandwidth'. His time was fully occupied by his acting career, his investment in the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Indian Pro Kabaddi League, plus co-ownership of Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League. This is not to say that he has no interest in cricket — far from it. He is a huge fan of the IPL and the Mumbai Indians, a side he will watch if filming commitments allow. Now, Bachchan believes that the time is right for him to invest in cricket. He believes that passion is required to spark investment interest, along with an opportunity to make an impact. This is what he feels about ETPL. A chance meeting opened up the opportunity to stir interest in a region that has not yet been able to tap into the explosion of T20 franchise cricket. He regards T20 as the new frontier of cricket and was amazed at the amounts of money spent, not just by Indians, in buying stakes in The Hundred last week. Cricket had got to the stage where it needed private money invested in it, otherwise the game was in danger of stagnating. In cricket's ecosystem, the privately-owned ETPL will have a unique feature through its partnership with three cricketing nations. In the ICC's T20 rankings. Ireland is in 11th place, Scotland is 13th and the Netherlands 14th. All three are ambitious to improve — Ireland is already a full member and a Test-playing nation. However, all three need additional funds to pursue their respective ambitions. A number of their players feature on the global franchise circuit. A European tournament will provide a platform for the leading talent from these three countries, playing alongside some of the best talent from around the world. During the initial phase of the tournament's development, an interim working group has been established to guide decision-making and oversee resourcing. It is chaired by the CEO of Cricket Ireland and comprises representatives from the three cricket boards and from strategic partner, Rules Sport Tech. This is a private limited company, headquartered in Haryana, India, and set up by Bachchan, Priyanka Kaul, Dhiraj Malhotra and Saurav Banerjee. They were present at the time of my interview with Bachchan, contributing additional information about their plans for the ETPL. They have their work cut out. There are five months to go until the league opens. Without naming names, for obvious reasons, it was clear that discussions with players and their agents are underway, as are those with potential franchisees and investors. I asked if any of the IPL franchise owners who did not secure a stake in The Hundred have expressed interest. The answer was a warm smile from Bachchan. His involvement will no doubt help in raising exposure in India and enhancing prospects of securing media coverage. This is not to say that the plan is to bankroll the league wholly with Indian funds. There is a clear will to have local involvement. It seems likely that the league will be based in six cities — Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The format, along with other details, is due to be revealed at some stage in the near future. Bachchan spoke enthusiastically about the prospect of the league developing world class local talent. Success for him lies in that ambition as well as in profitability. He is confident that the business model which they have in place will enable franchises to be earning profits by the end of Year 5. He pointed out that eight to 10 years is common in franchise cricket. If Bachchan's positivity and belief are the lodestone for the ETPL, then it has a good chance of creating a legacy in Europe, a part of the world that is home to 34 of 108 ICC member countries but has struggled to establish cricket as a major sport.
