Washington Freedom Hope To Have Home Cricket Ground By 2026

Mitchell Owen starred for Washington Freedom (Photo by Arjun Singh / Sportzpics for MLC)

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On the back of a whirlwind, attention-grabbing slate of games at the iconic Oakland Coliseum, next year’s Major League Cricket season might expand its footprint into Maryland with Washington Freedom moving closer to building a home ground.

After three seasons of the six-team MLC, only Texas Super Kings have a permanent cricket facility after repurposing a vacant baseball ground in Dallas, which has become the hub of American cricket and hosted a big chunk of the MLC games so far.

There is an unknown over whether San Francisco Unicorns will continue to play its home games at the Oakland Coliseum, with it currently a one-season arrangement.

While this season also saw games being played in Lauderhill, 30 miles north of Miami and a regular site for international cricket, there is unlikely to be new locations in the next season or two other than possibly in Maryland.

After plans to build a cricket stadium at George Mason University were scrapped, Freedom have earmarked a site in Frederick, about 45 miles north of Washington D.C. and near a local airport.

But the proposal still needs local government approval with residents raising concerns over environment impacts, traffic congestion, parking allowance and effects on nearby historic sites.

A decision from the council is expected in September.

“I want to have a temporary stadium up and running by next year,” Freedom owner Sanjay Govil told me. “We respect what the community is saying and our intent is to listen to them and come up with a reasonable approach.

“We truly believe that this would be great for the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area.”

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Freedom’s vision is for a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium that would cater for a range of sports, including lacrosse, rugby and flag football.

A home ground could also lure international cricket with the U.S. men’s and women’s teams likely to host series ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics, cementing the country as a big ticket destination beyond traditional boundaries.

As I reported recently, the West Indies are hoping to play more cricket in the world’s biggest sports market, home to a significant Caribbean diaspora.

West Indies power brokers aren’t just merely focused on bringing international cricket to the U.S., with regional Caribbean cricket an alluring prospect. Games between rivals Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in Maryland has an enticing ring to it.

“First things first, we need to get the stadium through but we want to bring international cricket here. That’s the goal,” Govil said. “There are lots of opportunities to explore with such a South Asian and Caribbean diaspora in the area, so it’s all quite exciting.”

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Freedom came within an inch of defending their MLC title after losing to MI New York in an entertaining final. Stepping into a wretched D.C. sports scene, Freedom have provided a change of luck for tortured local fans although the franchise still remains invisible to many.

“The first thing is to make sure we have a great product on the field, but we are continually trying to expand the brand in a bid for more people to know who we are,” Govil said.

“A lot of focus right now is on getting the stadium up and going, which will be critical for developing cricket in Maryland.”

Govil, a highly successful tech entrepreneur born in Montreal and raised in India, has been riding the rollercoaster of sports ownership, which has expanded since he invested in a 50 per cent stake in Welsh Fire – a franchise in the Hundred competition in England.

“It’s stressful because I’m passionate about the sport, especially passionate about the team and the area,” said Govil, who built his fortune after he moved to Washington D.C. and started Infinite Computer Solutions in 2001.

“We have a great management team and it’s been an amazing experience so far that we hope will be legacy defining for cricket in the D.C. area and beyond.”