Central Broward Regional Park
 | |
| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location |
3700 NW 11th Place Lauderhill, Florida 33111 |
| Establishment | 9 November 2007 |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Owner | Broward County, Florida |
| Architect |
H.J. Russell Seawood Builders |
| Operator |
Broward County Parks and Recreation Division |
| Tenants |
Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids (USAFL) (2008–present) South Florida Elite Futbol Club (USYS) (2008–present) Floridians FC (PDL) (2010–present) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) (2016–present) |
| International information | |
| First T20I |
22 May 2010: New Zealand v  Sri Lanka |
| Last T20I |
28 August 2016: India v  West Indies |
|
As of 28 August 2016 Source: ESPNcricinfo | |
Central Broward Regional Park and Central Broward Stadium is a large county park in Lauderhill, Florida, owned and operated by Broward County. It opened on November 9, 2007, at a construction cost of $70 million. It is located at the corner of US 441 and State Road 838 (Sunrise Blvd.).
Main Event Field
Cricket
The Main Event Field was designed with cricket in mind.[1] It features a large circular grass pitch, roughly 167 yards (153 meters) diameter.[2] Surrounding it is a 5,000-seat stadium and large berms capable of holding 15,000 more. It also features stadium lighting and a luxury viewing area. As of March 2016, it is the only venue in the United States officially certified by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for One Day International (ODI) play.[3]
The first organized cricket event held there was a Twenty20 cricket tournament, the Martin Luther King Twenty20 Cricket Tournament (MLK T20), on January 18–20, 2008. The event featured local players from India, Pakistan and the West Indies. The first international tournament hosted was another Twenty20 tournament, the MAQ T20 International Cricket Tournament, on May 23–25, 2008. That event featured teams from Canada, Pakistan, the West Indies, and the rest of the world, including former superstars such as Javed Miandad, Richie Richardson, and Mohammed Azharuddin.[4]
The park also hosted the first full cricket international matches on American soil, a two-match Twenty20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, on May 22-23, 2010.[5] The series was drawn 1-1, a low-scoring affair (the highest total by either team was New Zealand's 120/7 in the first game), with a healthy and supportive crowd, as well as the fine-quality facilities (allowing for the exception of substandard lighting, which resulted in the cancellation of an originally scheduled night match).[6]
On June 30th and July 1st, 2012, New Zealand and the West Indies played 2 T20Is at this ground, with the Windies winning both matches convincingly. In 2016, the West Indies-based Caribbean Premier League played multiple matches at Central Broward Regional Park during the second half of July.[7]
On August 2nd, 2016, India and the West Indies announced that they would play a two-match T20 series on 27th and 28th August at Central Broward Regional Park, marking India's first international matches on American soil, as an addendum to India's tour of the Caribbean.[8][9] Ahead of the start of the series, Indian coach and retired star leg-spin bowler Anil Kumble said about the park, "I certainly didn't expect the facilities to be as good as what it is in the United States. I certainly felt that it could be a makeshift. I had heard about Florida and this ground, but very impressed with the facilities that we have seen today."[10]
Only one match produced a result, with the second match ending in a no result due to rain and a technical delay. In the first match of the series, India's Lokesh Rahul scored the second-fastest T20I century off only 46 balls, eventually finishing on 110 not out for the highest international score in the venue's history. The two teams also the posted the highest international innings totals in the venue's history, with the West Indies winning by one run (245/6 off 20 overs against 244/4 off 20 overs) thanks to Evin Lewis' own century (100 off 49 balls).[11]
Australian Rules Football
The Main Event Field was the home of the Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids of the United States Australian Football League in 2008.
In 2015 the venue hosted the 10th edition of the 49th Parallel Cup, an annual Australian Football match between the USA and Canada.
Other sports
The mayor of Lauderhill, Richard J. Kaplan, sent a letter to ICC chief executive Dave Richardson in April 2013, stating that the council was looking at redeveloping the cricket stadium into a multi-sports facility, due to the lack of income and marquee events that have recently been held at the Field.[12]
It also hosted the United States national rugby union team's home leg in their 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifier against Uruguay on November 21, 2009. The USA, already with a win in Uruguay in the first leg, secured its place in New Zealand with a 27–6 win.
The Main Event Field will host the Floridians FC, a soccer team in the Premier Development League, in 2015.
The Fort Lauderdale Barracudas of the Stars Football League played their three home games at the park during the 2012 season. The league will play all of its games at the stadium for the 2013 season.
In 15 July 2016, The Main Event Field will be also home of Fort Lauderdale Strikers of North American Soccer League.
Other amenities
Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium also has two large artificial-turf practice fields. They can be split into four American football or association football pitches, or combined into two cricket pitches. It also features standard playgrounds, a 1.5-mile walking trail, and basketball, netball and tennis courts. A water park—Tropical Splash—opened in March 2008.[13]
The park is also home to the MLS Combine, the future stars of Major League Soccer since its inception in 2011.
References
- ↑ News Releases - View News Release
- ↑ Measured to the fenceline delimiting the playing surface using Google Earth's ruler tool
- ↑ "BCCI officials in Florida to discuss India-WI T20s in August". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ MAQ T20 Cricket Tournament
- ↑ New Zealand v Sri Lanka T20I Series - 1st T20I - CricInfo
- ↑ Captains positive despite low scores in Florida - CricInfo
- ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "USA to host six CPL matches in 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ↑ "India, West Indies to play T20s in U.S.". The Hindu. 2016-08-02. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
- ↑ "India debut on American soil as T20I series vs West Indies in Florida gets green signal". 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
- ↑ 'Didn't expect the facilities to be as good' - Kumble ESPN Cricinfo
- ↑ "India tour of West Indies and United States of America, 1st T20I: West Indies v India at Lauderhill". espncricinfo. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "Plans for Florida's stadium to be redeveloped". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ↑ Broward County - Parks and Recreation Division
External links
- Central Broward Regional Park Official website
Coordinates: 26°08′24″N 80°11′55″W / 26.139959°N 80.198689°W