The rights to produce a professional Cricket league in the United States have been purchased, and major steps toward building a robust destination for fans of the game all over the country are currently being taken.
As the CEO of Global Sports Ventures and owner of the St. Lucia Zouks, Jay Pandya helped negotiate the $70 million purchase of the rights to produce a professional Cricket league in the United States from the United States of America Cricket Association. Pandya recently spoke with FanSided about his vision not only for the new league, but for all the auxiliary development that will go along with it.
“If you look at the existing infrastructure, there’s only one cricket stadium which is approved in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,” Pandya stated. “It’s been there for quite a while but it isn’t one of the better stadiums. Since we purchased the rights, we made an announcement that we will create the infrastructure necessary for the league.”
A big part of that initiative is the construction of cricket-centric stadiums in seven different states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Washington DC is also in the plans. On top of the 26,000-seat stadiums, Pandya intends to turn the sites into complete destinations with apartments, hotels, restaurants and retail spaces to total an investment of $2.4 billion.
“We aren’t just building multi-purpose stadiums,” Pandya commented. “We are building lifestyle centers that will be vibrant throughout the year with local artists and businesses.”
After the league launches, which is planned for 2019, Pandya intends to go about marketing the product to a larger audience than just that which is local to the stadiums. That will entail broadcasting and youth development.
“Right now we have not signed any contracts with any broadcasters,” Pandya explained. “We have had many inquiries but until we have the entire product ready, we will not be going out to market it. We have sponsored 35 cricket programs in schools in New York. We want to make sure that the sport is strong from the ranks of childhood on up through the collegiate level.”
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Part of the strategy to build and market the league has already begun, as the league already has signed three players to contracts. Timroy Allen, Timil Patel and William Perkins have become the first Americans to get paid to play cricket professionally.
Allen and Perkins are of Caribbean origin and live in Florida. Patel is of Indian origin and lives in California.
Despite how unfamiliar many sports fans in the United States may be with the game, and how saturated with other sports entertainment offerings their lives may be, Pandya is optimistic about the league. A single match at MetLife Stadium in 2016 drew 25,000 fans and another at Dodger Stadium drew the same amount. Cricket is the second-most watched sport in the world, and ESPN has boasted 30 million viewers for its cricket coverage in the United States.
“When India played the West Indies in Fort Lauderdale last year, the tickets were sold out in an hour,” Pandya elaborated. “The tickets were originally set at $25. When the demand skyrocketed, they increased the prices to $100. That didn’t slow down the purchasing. The demand for cricket is absolutely here and we intend to bring the best players in the world to the United States to play in our league.”
Over the next few months, Pandya expects to close many deals that will be essential for the league’s success. As many existing US-based leagues seek to grow their brands internationally, cricket represents an opportunity for a sport that is already an international success to enjoy the promise that the sports economy in the United States offers.