Cricket, anyone? Toronto creating strategy to meet ‘growing demand’

Recognizing its increasing popularity, nan City of Toronto is finalizing a cricket strategy to amended meet rising demand.

The improvement of nan strategy, which began successful 2020, will beryllium considered by nan executive committee astatine its gathering connected Tuesday.

With 27 cricket pitches wrong metropolis parks, immoderate of which are shared pinch different activities, Toronto wants to summation entree to nan athletics done caller accommodation and partnerships pinch institutions for illustration schools.

“Recognizing that cricket is 1 of nan fastest-growing sports crossed nan region, a caller cricket strategy is being developed to amended meet this increasing demand,” unit said successful a June 4 presentation.

“Demand for younker cricket programs and entree to cricket accommodation is expanding successful galore communities crossed nan city.”

In that presentation, unit said nan cricket strategy focuses connected 3 goals: much fields, amended fields and much opportunities to play.

So far, nan metropolis has made transportation improvements astatine respective parks, including Cedarvale Park and Flemingdon Park, arsenic good arsenic offering beginner cricket programming astatine respective locations successful 2023. Those programs are afloat pinch waitlists, unit said.

They identified a number of projects for 2025 – funded this twelvemonth – which see introducing a full-size, fully-lit cricket section astatine McCleary Park and further believe cages astatine Byng Park. They are besides exploring converting shot diamonds astatine Corvette Park to a full-sized cricket pitch.

However, unit said partnering pinch schoolhouse boards could further boost cricket offerings to those wanting to play successful nan city.

“The metropolis is looking to proceed chat pinch schoolhouse committee unit to place opportunities to put successful nan building of caller cricket accommodation connected schoolhouse properties for schoolhouse and organization use,” they said.

And “explore opportunities to summation student entree to cricket programming.”

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Some of those opportunities see investing successful believe pitches, converting underutilized shot diamonds and exploring programming to broaden participation.

Over nan adjacent 20 years, nan metropolis hopes to upgrade 3 existing cricket pitches and build up to 5 caller fields.

The scheme is to person nan cricket strategy integrated into nan accommodation maestro scheme five-year reappraisal by year’s end, nan metropolis says connected its website, though that timeline whitethorn change.

On Tuesday, nan executive committee will see an inquire from nan city-school boards advisory assembly to person nan wide head of parks, forestry and recreation present a study astatine its Oct. 21 meeting.

The advisory assembly wants that study to see a “plan that outlines really nan City of Toronto tin formally collaborate pinch schoolhouse boards to create partnerships to place caller opportunities to build and supply entree to cricket fields, believe cages and cricket equipment,” it said.

“As good arsenic to summation entree to cricket programs for children and younker successful some City of Toronto and schoolhouse committee facilities.”