The United Kingdom government has promised £1.5 million in funding for the construction of two cricket domes in Luton and Lancashire, which will enable local residents to play cricket without weather disruption, all year long. While the figure is well short of the £35 million commitment made by Rishi Sunak’s government, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is pleased not to pay for another cricket dome entirely out of its own pocket after constructing the one in Bradford, which opened in 2023.
A big chunk of Sunak’s promised funds, announced in April last year, was due to be used to erect 16 such domes across the country by 2029, linked to England’s hosting of the women’s and men’s T20 World Cups in 2026 and 2030, while the remaining was also promised to nurture the grassroots levels of the game. But Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC, while announcing the current package for the domes at Leyland Cricket Club in Lancashire on Monday, that the original pledge made by the former government had no practicality tied to it.
“Unfortunately, the announcement made by the last government was a fantasy,” Nandy told the BBC. “There was not a single penny of actual funding attached to it.
“So the announcement in itself equated to absolutely nothing at all. We are backing sport because we know how much it matters. It changes people’s lives. It opens up opportunities that people would never have had otherwise.”
This fund is, understandably, in addition to the £400 million grant that the government announced earlier this year for the development of several sports at the grassroots level. Currently, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in communication with many sporting boards, including the ECB, to discuss the spending of that fund.
The ECB is also hoping to press for more funds to maximize “the legacy of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup” as well as make cricket “the most inclusive team sport.”
“These state-of-the-art all-weather cricket domes will be transformative for the communities they serve, opening up cricket to more people year-round and providing top-class facilities for elite players too. They are an important part of our plans to break down barriers and make cricket the most inclusive team sport,” ECB chair Richard Thompson said of the announcement.
“We are pleased to secure Government support for these incredible community facilities, which we hope will provide a vital proof point of what can be achieved, and look forward to future collaboration. As we have seen in Bradford, centres like these can have a hugely positive impact—bringing people together, opening up opportunities, and inspiring the next generation.
“As we look ahead to hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026, building on that success by rolling out more domes in communities across England and Wales will be key to creating a genuine and lasting legacy from the tournament.”
The dome in Luton, which will be opened in 2026, is set to be constructed in Lewsey Park, while Farington will be where the Lancashire cricket dome will be built, to be opened as early as next summer.
