Broward County stands to earn between $40 million to $50 million from the T20 Cricket World Cup matches next year.
The International Cricket Committee (ICC) last week announced that the Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill will be one of the venues for the 2024 tournament, which will run from June 4 to June 30 next year.
The stadium will be one of three U.S. venues where the ICC will host its men’s World Cup games. The other two sites will be Eisenhower Park in New York and Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
This would mark the first time the T20 World Cup will be held in the United States, which will co-host the tournament alongside the Caribbean.
At a ceremony unveiling the announcement on Monday, county officials said Broward stands to earn big from the tournament.
“We’re seeing an international phenomenon. You got 2.4 to 5 billion fans, if not more, and they’re coming to the United States to watch cricket,” said Dan West, director of Broward Parks and Recreation.
Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, behind soccer.
Broward County Commissioner Hazelle Rogers said the tournament will bring approximately $40 million to $50 million in economic value to the county.
The US as co-hosts with the Caribbean
The United States will co-host the tournament along with countries in the Caribbean.
A total of seven Caribbean countries completes the list of host countries for the 55 games: Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines; and Trinidad and Tobago.
“We are delighted to announce the seven Caribbean venues that will host the biggest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup ever staged, with 20 teams competing for the trophy,” said ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice.
“This will be the third ICC senior men’s event hosted by the West Indies, and the matches will again give cricket fans the unique experience of enjoying cricket in the Caribbean. I would like to thank Cricket West Indies and the seven host governments for their continued commitment and support of our sport.”
Cricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave said he is grateful for the support of Caribbean governments in hosting the tournament.
“We are grateful to the host Governments of the Caribbean for their overwhelming responses and enthusiasm for hosting what will be the most significant sporting event held in our region for a generation.”
Grave added: “We are confident that together we will deliver a world-class tournament showcasing the best this region has to offer with our unique culture and carnival atmosphere that will ensure there is a real celebration of the sport next June.”
Jamaica missing out
Following the announcement of the venues for the World Cup, several Jamaican stakeholders and government officials voiced their concerns and disappointment over Jamaica not being selected as one of the hosting countries.
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The Jamaican government later explained that opted against submitting an official bid to host games at next year’s men’s T20 cricket World Cup because it had to “pay attention to the cost-and-benefit analysis” as a consequence of “limited resources” on the island.
Minister of Sports Olivia “Babsy” Grange said “it wasn’t an easy decision” but after considering “different permutations”, the government felt that Jamaica’s cost of hosting World Cup matches would far exceed any potential benefits.
“We had been considering the cost and source of funding of nearly half a billion dollars to host a few games in Jamaica,” Grange said in a statement. “In our cost/benefit analysis with stakeholders, we also considered the economic, social, and development impact, including the potential tourism-related impact and attendant industry benefits using year-over-year economic modeling, reconciled against current tourism performance.
“It was a robust exercise in which we considered different permutations including the option not to bid.”
The minister announced that the government will be investing J$100M in the development of youth cricket and cricket in schools over the next five years, in addition to their plans to rehabilitate and develop Jamaica’s sports infrastructure.
