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Residents urge Newark to add cricket fields, citing youth demand and local business benefits
Summary
Multiple speakers — coaches, parents and youth — asked the council to accelerate provision of cricket-capable fields or adaptable pitches in Newark, arguing that local facilities would serve a growing Bay Area cricket community, support youth programs, and attract customers to city businesses.
Dozens of residents and youth asked the Newark City Council on June 11 to prioritize cricket facilities, telling council members the sport has grown rapidly in the Bay Area and local children travel long distances to play.
Dave Ravindraat opened public comment asking the city to consider a multi-use field that could accommodate cricket alongside soccer and other sports, emphasizing demand from youth and pointing to regional cricket activity (Major League Cricket events near Oakland Coliseum). Coaches and academy leaders said a practical, near-term solution would be to install a removable pitch mat on an underused park field (staff mentioned McGregor Field as a candidate) so cricket can coexist with other uses.
Youth speakers underscored the message: 13-year-old Vihan Ponti (BK Cricket Academy) and 10-year-old Adi (VK Cricket Academy) told council they want local access for practice and games rather than long drives to neighboring cities. Community speakers argued cricket events help generate foot traffic and new business opportunities at venues like New Park Mall.
Parks staff told the audience the parks master plan update identifies project priorities; the cricket request currently falls in priority three with a planning horizon that could reach 2029, a timeline several speakers said is too slow for youth development. Council members encouraged continued engagement and said the parks master plan update and capital improvement plan will be opportunities to advance projects that reflect community priorities.
Council accepted the public comment record and said staff will continue conversations with the cricket groups and consider the mat/rectangular-pitch approach as a low-impact starter option.
Quote highlights from public comment included: “We want to coexist with other sports; we’re not asking for a dedicated cricket field,” (Dave Ravindraat) and “We are requesting fields so our kids don’t have to travel 20–30 minutes to play,” (Adi, age 10).
Next steps: staff will review parks master-plan timing and capital-improvement schedules and continue to meet with community representatives about McGregor Field and other potential sites.
