The City of Wolverhampton Council worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to create the sports facility at Peace Green, Dunstall Road, which includes 3 all weather cricket training nets and netball and basketball facilities.
The new centre has already proved a hit with local residents, with the cricket lanes being officially opened at the fun day on Sunday. The event also featured penalty shoot out competitions with Wolverhampton Wanderers, bowl at the stump contests, WV Active class demonstrations, food stalls and much more.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "We are delighted to have worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board to deliver these facilities which have further increased opportunities for people in Whitmore Reans to get active.
"They have not only provided sporting facilities to help improve people's physical health and wellbeing, but also transformed a previously obscured area of Peace Green which had been the focus of anti-social behaviour, complementing the well maintained open space which offers an outdoor gym, children's play area and walking routes."
The £150,000 scheme was jointly funded by the council’s Sport Development and Investment Strategy, Staffordshire Cricket and the ECB, with the new facilities managed by local community groups.
Staffordshire Cricket and the ECB’s financial contribution to the facility was part of a broader investment into cricket across Wolverhampton’s public spaces.
Jason Britton, Development Director for Staffordshire Cricket, said: "We’ve worked closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council to ensure investment into providing places where people can play informal cricket was spent wisely; the sites at Peace Green and across the city show that we as a sport are committed to growing the game as much in inner city areas as in the traditional cricket club network.
"We’re hoping that the recent hosting of the World Cup and the fantastic spectacle that was the final will inspire a generation of young people to pick up a bat and ball and make cricket a game for them – and what better place to give it a go than at Peace Green.”
The netball and basketball facilities are available for use by the general public during Peace Green's normal opening hours, while the cricket facility is subject to booking arrangements through local community organisations which hold keys for the site, including Dunstall Hill Primary School, TLC College and Jamia Masjid Al-Aqsa Mosque. For more details about booking arrangements, please visit Peace Green Community Cricket Facility
- For those youngsters wishing to get involved in cricket for the first time Staffordshire Cricket is running an All Stars Cricket Have a Go day for 5 to 8 year olds from 10 to 11.30am on Sunday (28 July) at The Way Youth Zone, Wolverhampton, where they’ll get a free bat and ball if they register and attend. More information at All Stars Cricket Have A Go.
Image 1: At the official opening of the new all weather cricket training nets are Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Ged McDougall, Regional Clubs and Facilities Manager (West Midlands) for the England and Wales Cricket Board, Jason Britton, Development Director for Staffordshire Cricket, Eleanor Smith, Wolverhampton South West MP, and Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment.
Image 2: At the official opening of the new all weather cricket training nets are Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, Ged McDougall, Regional Clubs and Facilities Manager (West Midlands) for the England and Wales Cricket Board, Jason Britton, Development Director for Staffordshire Cricket, Eleanor Smith, Wolverhampton South West MP, Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment, and local children.
