Ian Mallon: Hosts Ireland in danger of 'devastating' 2030 ICC World ...

The issue comes down to the construction of a promised stadium at Abbotstown, a project which was openly sought and encouraged by Sport Ireland and committed to by Leo Varadkar, five years ago.

However with Varadkar gone from office and with Sport Ireland prioritising other projects over the ground, the issue is now critical.

Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom has warned of the “devastating” consequences of Ireland having to hand back those rights as the hosts come “under the scrutiny of the International Cricket Council”.

In a letter to Cricket Ireland the ICC expressed a desire for work to begin on the site last year, through the “initial construction of the main pitch” — cricket pitches need significant bedding down periods, particularly in climates like ours. In its advisory the ICC also expressed a demand for the stadium to host domestic club cricket matches by 2026, and by the following year to hold both T20 and T50 internationals.

It would then be used by the world cricketing body in 2028 to host an ICC qualification event — to ensure the stadium was game-ready for the 2030 World Cup, with a full playing season taking place in the interim in 2029.

In 2021, based on commitments from politicians and Sport Ireland, Cricket Ireland won the rights to host the 2030 World Cup along with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Scotland.

Three years earlier, Varadkar, ahead of a series of ODIs in Malahide against India, backed the stadium, declaring his government and Sport Ireland would “bring this project to fruition”.

“I was delighted to hear that the Board of Cricket Ireland have also endorsed the development of a new permanent cricket stadium at the National Sports Campus,” he said.

“This is an exciting development both for Cricket Ireland and also for the Campus.”

With little progress since, Sport Ireland has refused to greenlight the project admitting that “the Cricket Oval is presently at the initial concept design and feasibility stage” giving no guarantee of approval.

“An outline feasibility and business case for the project is under review, the outcome of which will dictate the next steps,” it said in a series of communications with this column. Sport Ireland also admitted that under the recently completed Campus Masterplan its “key project under this programme will be a state-of-the-art National Velodrome and Badminton Centre — with other projects being identified”.

One of the issues is the cost of the 10,000 seater stadium, which The Pitch estimates will sit at approximately €140m, with the first phase likely to come in at around €50m — with significant funding required from government.

In the past the State has invested €191m into the Aviva Stadium, €108m in Croke Park, €70m in the National Aquatic Centre, with €85m
expected to be delivered for
its current lead project, the Velodrome at Sport Ireland.

Even putting the 2030 World Cup — and a potential 1-2 billion global audience — to one side, Ireland as a full ICC nation must have a permanent home.

The cost of building temporary stadia at Malahide is so prohibitive that the Men’s senior international team plays some ‘home’ games overseas, with a series against South Africa later this year set to be held in the UAE.

There is growing resenmtment among a number of senior cricket sources that there is no political appreciation of cricket in this country.

The Government tends to look to the US and at football when considering supporting international competitions — Ryder Cup, College Football and international soccer events.

This was clear in February when it committed to investing €50m from the Shared Island Fund for Casement Park in Belfast for Euro 2028.

However, politics may be missing the point on the potential value of cricket particularly through the visibility of hosting 15 matches in 2030 across a growing global cricket audience.

The USA saw this vast potential by hosting the current World Cup with its Caribbean neighbours — a tournament which announces cricket as truly global and a sport on the rise. A YouGov poll ahead of the last T20 (2022) showed that cricket held significant interest among populations throughout the world including India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia and the UAE.

The same survey found that in countries including the UK, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia the T20 World Cup held interest amongst one-in-five of the overall population of 15 key nations.

Next Sunday a game in Ireland’s group between India and Pakistan is set to draw a global audience of more than one billion fans, for a fixture between two of the powerhouses of the sport.

That match in New York has drawn extreme levels of interest for fans with StubHub quoting prices as high as €45,630 for a single ticket for the fixture at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium — a temporary 34,000 seater stadium.

The $30m (€27.6m), modular construction which was built in just three months, with temporary pitches originating in Australia and transported via Florida, demonstrating ambition on behalf of the US to act as a host nation.

Such a temporary scenario would not work in Ireland given Cricket Ireland needs a permanent venue, aside from the extraordinary novelty of hosting the 2030 World Cup.

In its letter to Cricket Ireland, the ICC expressed a preference for work to begin on the site last year, through the “initial construction of the main pitch, practice pitches and outfield” with stands to be constructed after the pitch is laid.

Deutrom said that ICC had provided a timeline for construction of pitches to ensure they can be built and tested in advance of the World Cup is now behind schedule.

“The possibility of falling even further behind can’t be ruled out, and we are now ‘under scrutiny of ICC’ in relation to being ready to co-host the World Cup in 2030,” he said.

“We received written undertakings from the Taoiseach in 2018 after we had just become an ICC full member, when there was a 12-year horizon, and then we won the co-hosting rights to the event in 2021.

“We’re now at a critical juncture to seize the moment because if we don’t, that opportunity may not come again for a long time.

“If we miss out on the opportunity to maximise the presence of the World Cup on these shores, that would be devastating for Irish cricket by virtue of our status in the cricket world.

“It would also be a significant opportunity wasted for the nation, particularly losing the local economic impact of tens of thousands of fans attending matches in two rounds of the World Cup, not to mention the hundreds of millions of eyeballs focused on the tournament.”

New Irish sponsorship association formed 

The European Sponsorship Association has announced the formation of ESA Ireland - a networking community for all professionals working in the sector across the country.

The new body has announced its intention to promote excellence in sponsorship whilst providing access to sponsorship-specific education and training for members.

The value of all sponsorship – including sports and enterntainment – is estimated at sitting around €227m, an increase of 7% on last year, and a number that will surpass pre-pandemic peak of €224m reached in 2019.

According to statista sports sponsorship alone will grow by almost 9% this year, to a global figure just short of $100bn.

Speaking at the launch of ESA Irleand, Board Director Daragh Persse described the development as “a landmark moment for Irish sponsorship, which has experienced significant growth and success over the last 15 years”.

“To have our own dedicated network of sponsorship professionals from across the brand, rights holder and agency landscape will be of huge benefit to all of us working in the industry, enabling us to learn from each other and continue to set the standard for excellence in sponsorship,” he said.