Indianapolis World Sports Park
 | |
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°45′6″N 86°0′24″W / 39.75167°N 86.00667°WCoordinates: 39°45′6″N 86°0′24″W / 39.75167°N 86.00667°W |
| Establishment | 2014 |
| Capacity | 4,000-8,000 |
| Owner | Indianapolis City-County Council |
| Operator | Indy Parks |
Indianapolis World Sports Park is an American sporting complex located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The site covers 48 acres (19 ha) at the former Post Road Community Park and consists of three multi-use fields for the sports of cricket, lacrosse, hurling, rugby, Australian rules football, and Gaelic football. The $5.1 million facility was completed in 2014.[1][2]
History
Announced in 2013 as an initiative of Mayor Greg Ballard, the facility was slated to host the U.S. cricket men's national championship in August 2014 as its inaugural event, but city officials canceled their three-year hosting contract with the national cricketing group in May of that year, citing "deteriorated" communication about sponsorships, publicity, and other event planning details. The city said the breakdown between the groups began after U.S. cricket director Darren Beazley stepped down in March.[3][4]
Despite losing the national cricket tournament, city officials completed the project,[5] scaling back the number of fields from five[6] to three and eliminating plans for a concession pavilion, maintenance building and additional parking, which helped the project come in about $1 million under budget. With the changes, one of the three fields was not built to "international standards for professional play", according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.[1] The park hosted local and regional cricket matches in 2014.
The project was controversial in Indianapolis. The facility's funding came from the city's "RebuildIndy" initiative, which was created to fund infrastructure improvements. One city council member suggested the money could be better spent on items like sidewalks and curbs.[7] Also, the project was seen as an extravagant expense for a city which at the time was facing a $40 million budget deficit[1] and a crime wave with an understaffed police department.[3]
During construction, irrigation pumping at the park was alleged to have depleted several nearby residential water wells. The city lowered some residential pumps and replaced at least one well, costing about $15,000.[6]
In May 2015, the park will host its first international cricket event, the 2015 ICC Americas Twenty20 Division One tournament. The U.S. cricket team and the national teams from Bermuda, Canada, and Suriname will participate.[8] The top two teams at the tournament will progress to the 2015 World Twenty20 Qualifier in Ireland and Scotland, where the top six teams will qualify for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India.[9]
Matches
The complex has hosted the following 2015 ICC Americas Twenty20 Division One cricket matches in May 2015.
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Winner | Margin | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Canada |  Suriname | May 3, 2015 | ||
 United States |  Bermuda | May 3, 2015 | ||
| Bermuda | Canada | May 4, 2015 | ||
| United States | Suriname | May 4, 2015 | ||
| United States | Canada | May 5, 2015 | ||
| Bermuda | Suriname | May 5, 2015 | ||
| United States | Bermuda | May 7, 2015 | ||
| Canada | Suriname | May 7, 2015 | ||
| United States | Suriname | May 8, 2015 | ||
| Bermuda | Canada | May 8, 2015 | ||
| Bermuda | Suriname | May 9, 2015 | ||
| United States | Canada | May 9, 2015 | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kathleen McLaughlin (June 28, 2014). "City quietly scales back World Sports Park". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ↑ "Indianapolis World Sports Park". City of Indianapolis. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 John Tuohy (May 30, 2014). "Mayor Greg Ballard: Indy won't host national cricket championship". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ↑ "ICC President Alan Isaac Visits Indianapolis World Sports Park". NewYorkCricket.com. October 28, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ Jeff Wagner (June 4, 2014). "Cricket fields will be finished despite losing US National Cricket Championships". WISH-TV. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jon Murray (August 28, 2013). "Indianapolis will pick up well repair costs after 'cricket park' dropped water levels". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ Network Indiana (May 9, 2013). "Indianapolis To Build $6 Million Sports Park". Indiana Public Media. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ Peter Della Penna (February 11, 2015). "Indianapolis to host 2015 ICC Americas Division One T20". CricInfo. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ↑ "Nisarg Patel, Jasdeep Singh get USA call-ups". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 April 2015.