Bronx Van Cortlandt Park (WABC) — There have been proposals to move next year’s Cricket World Cup to New York City.
The International Cricket Council has selected Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx to host the event.
The opposition is clear and, according to Bronx elected officials, community groups and residents, unanimous. People are outraged at Council’s backing of a makeshift cricket ground at Van Cortlandt Park.
The parade ground covers 20 acres and has a capacity of 34,000 seats. It’s a sprawling project that critics say circumvents all kinds of rules. Altering public access to the park requires approval from the state legislature.
“It is impossible for local governments to freely transfer large amounts of public land to private companies for long periods of time without going through a public process,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-Bronx.
The city was approached by the International Cricket Council to host the 2024 World Cup tournament in May and June. Construction will start in January.
“People will be denied the right to use this area of Van Cortlandt Park for months, and it’s not just six months as they say. If it takes five or six months to build it, then It can be built and demolished in a day,” said Rep. Jeffrey Dinovitz, a Democrat from Riverdale.
Van Cortlandt Park is the third largest park in the city, and eight cricket grounds are currently off limits.
Godfrey Mitchell of the New York Cricket League said: “We play every weekend, it’s our field, we don’t have anywhere else to play, so we’re going to have a big problem playing without a field.”
A spokesman for the mayor said hosting the event in New York City has the potential to generate $150 million in economic activity and create thousands of new jobs. However, local lawmakers have said they plan to put it on hold in the lawsuit if the city plan goes ahead, which would put it on hold for months, well beyond the date of next year’s race.
ALSO READ | Firehouse Fitness rings the alarm for 7 On Your Side
———-
* More Bronx News
* Send us a news alert
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching videos or photos, terms of use apply.
