'Cricket faces the most significant under supply and considerable action is required'

Cricketers in Bristol are stumped for space as the sport is becoming more popular but dozens of new pitches are needed.

A new report suggests that Bristol will need 34 extra cricket grounds to meet rising demand by 2040, and hints at an emerging plan for an indoor cricket dome too.

Grounds could be created on playing fields and when developers build new housing estates. Bristol City Council is planning to support work looking at developing a covered cricket dome, alongside the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation and the England & Wales Cricket Board.

An update on the council’s playing pitch strategy will be given to councillors on the public health and communities policy committee on Friday (June 26). They will likely vote to approve the strategy, which also looks at rugby, football and hockey, as well as less popular sports like archery, baseball and lacrosse.

A committee report said: “Cricket faces the most significant under supply and considerable action is required. There is also evidence of particular unmet demand among some communities, including those with strong traditions of cricket participation such as South Asian communities.

“The geographical distribution of facilities is an important factor in this, as a lack of suitable provision in accessible parts of the city means that some clubs are currently required to play outside Bristol. This can act as a barrier to participation and growth, particularly for junior and women’s teams.”

As well as new cricket grounds, Bristol needs 15 new adult football pitches, 12 youth football pitches and seven rugby union pitches. One or two artificial pitches are needed that would be suitable for hockey. Some of the demand could be met outside of the city’s boundary, and there could be new multi-sport sites created.

Even Bristol’s professional club, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, is planning to move outside of the city’s boundaries. The club has long talked about moving away from their historic Nevil Road home in Ashley Down, to a new site near Almondsbury and the Wave.

Local sports clubs and the general public were consulted last December and January for their views on the city’s playing pitches. The strategy will inform decisions on planning applications, and aims to get investment from property developers and bids for external funding.

A glaring omission from the playing pitch strategy is running and athletics. While the popularity of running is booming in Bristol — with a record 25,000 taking part in the Great Bristol Run last month — the council is planning to build on top of an athletics track in South Bristol.

But a refurbishment is planned of the running track in Whitehall, where the surface will be resprayed. And provision for athletics and other sports is addressed with a separate council plan, the built sport and active recreation facilities strategy. This explores provision like leisure centres and swimming pools, but the current plan is three years out of date, ending in 2023.