2017 promises to be a breakthrough year for Cricket. A first One Day International for Ireland against England at Lords will be one for history but the future is also being well catered for.
A new facility at the National Sports Campus will be open in the Spring and before that Urban Cricket, a brand new state of the art indoor cricket facility, is opening in Dublin on 2nd January.
The facility is backed by some of the leading names in the sport and also has support from Cricket Ireland sponsor O’Neill’s though it does not appear to have the full backing of Cricket Ireland as yet.
Without a need for funding from the National Governing Body that is immaterial and it certainly looks like an impressive addition to the facilities available to the sport.
The facility is located in an industrial unit on the long mile road with easy access to Dublin and the M50. One of the sponsors is the Spin Activity Centre in Newbridge which runs a variety of indoor training and entertainment in similar premises in new bridge, County Kildare.
It appears to be a smart use of a facility which may be available at a cheaper rent roll than might have been the case ten years ago and deserves a chance of success.
The brainchild of Arun Kumar and Jimmy Bansal of Adamstown CC and Railway Union head coach, Kevin O’Herlihy, it also has Irish international stars Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien and Ed Joyce onboard as three of the founding members and part of the coaching team.
Urban Cricket will offer cricket coaching for all age groups and abilities in a bespoke indoor hall covering 12,000 square metres that will be fully operational in January 2017.
The facility will have the latest in ‘cool plus’ cricket flooring, as found at Lords cricket ground, as well as state of the art LED lighting and retractable side and roof netting.
There will be 6 practice lanes which will also convert into 2 separate indoor cricket pitches. The lanes can be booked individually or the whole hall can be booked for club or team practice.
Urban Cricket are claiming that a number of top clubs in Dublin have already booked in for pre-season training and that they will be running an indoor camp for kids starting on January 2nd.
“I am thrilled to be involved in this amazing venture”, said ireland International Niall O’Brien.
“As a kid growing up, I longed for a facility to hone my skills in and now I have the opportunity to help develop the next generation of talented Irish youngsters to develop theirs”.
The Urban Cricket centre will also have indoor leagues starting in January.
“Indoor cricket is one of the fastest growing versions of cricket worldwide and let’s be honest, its tailor-made for the weather here in Ireland,” added Cricket ireland Player of the Year Ed Joyce.
“It’s a lot of fun and very easy to play. It’s also a great way to stay playing cricket during those long winter months and get that all important exercise in.”
The coaching team will include Railway Union head cricket coach Kevin O’Herlihy, former Irish women’s captain Isobel Joyce, Leinster Development Officer Kenny Carroll, Merrion Head Coach Nicky Kenny and Leinster Lightning and Ireland seamer Eddie Richardson. Cricket specific fitness will also be offered on site through Adrian Harper and Max Sorensen of Pro-Fitness Gym.
“When the opportunity came along to be involved with Urban Cricket, I jumped at the chance,” said Kevin O’Brien.
“The facility itself will be top class and the coaches we have on board are as good as you’ll find anywhere’.
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Gepostet von Paralympics Ireland am Samstag, 3. September 2016
