Cricket, lovely cricket, will return to Lauderhill in Broward County this summer.
After a successful 2016 Hero Caribbean Premier League tournament at Central Broward Stadium, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved T20 fixtures for the venue this year.
The Hero Caribbean Premier League is scheduled to take place from August 4 to September 10. Match schedule and ticket information will be announced shortly.
Last year, six matches were played at Central Broward Stadium. Along with the excitement and interest the games generated, they contributed $12,583,246 to the local economy. The Hero CPL invested $1,668,151, and visitors to Broward County spent $4,751,872.
The CPL organizers are confident there will be an improvement on the estimated 30,000 fans who attended matches last year. In addition, there is a potential television audience of 12.7 million viewers.
Damien O’Donohoe, chief executive of the Hero CPL, said: “On behalf of Hero CPL, I am delighted that the biggest party in sport will return to the USA later this year. Over 30,000 fans packed our American leg of matches in 2016. Over half of those attendees travelled from New York and Texas, and as far west as Los Angeles.”
He added that, “We welcome the opportunity to play our part in USA cricket’s future plans. We have committed to a community outreach program to ensure the impact of the Hero CPL goes beyond the field of play….. we believe the quality of cricket on the field, coupled with the party off it, will generate even greater interest for the upcoming season.”
Broward Commissioner Dale Holness, who was involved in promoting last year’s tournament, endorsed O’Donohoe’s pledge.
“I welcome the return of international cricket to Broward County. As was proven during last year’s games at the Central Broward Stadium, cricket and sports generally have a very positive economic impact on the local economy. It’s my goal, as a county commissioner to make every effort to bring more sports to Broward, and all South Florida, to grow jobs and the economy.”
Holness revealed that management at Central Broward Stadium is seeking a manager to develop cricket in South Florida. This post should be filled in weeks.
City of Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan is also looking forward to the frenetic pace of T20 cricket returning to his town.
“The return of the Caribbean Premier League also known as the ‘Biggest Party in Sports’ to Lauderhill has many people excited including myself! We warmly welcome the players, officials, and many spectators of CPLT20 2017 to a place we call the North Caribbean and the Cricket Capital of the United States of America – Lauderhill!”
