New league considers Erin for $1-billion, 35,000-seat cricket stadium

The Town of Erin is being looked at as a potential location for a cricket stadium for Canada’s Premier League T20.
At its May 5 meeting, town council heard from Roy Singh, the founder and chairman of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) T20, a cricket league that will begin this August in Montreal.
Singh said the league is looking to build a cricket-specific stadium hub.
“They’re looking for an appropriate site, so the next thing is discussions with landowners that have space perhaps for that type of site,” said Erin economic development coordinator Bob Cheetham.
“It might fit into the future development of the municipality.”
The stadium site will need to be at least 150 acres in size, Singh said, with the building itself occupying about 25 acres, with a capacity for about 35,000 people. It is estimated the project will cost between $700 million and $1 billion and take two and a half years to complete.
“They’re looking within the Town of Erin and it has to obviously be within an area they can develop,” Cheetham explained. “So future development space, that type of thing.”
Singh said the project would employ more than 200 people before construction and more than 75 people after construction.
CPLT20 currently has 10 teams in Canada, with both Canadian and international players on each team. T20 is a new, shortened format of cricket where the games last for about three and a half hours instead of three days, Singh explained to council.
The league is looking at Erin for a potential site because there is a high population of people in Ontario who are cricket fans, Singh said.
Cheetham further explained the cost of a 150-acre site closer to the GTA would likely be more expensive than in Erin.

Councillor John Brennan asked whether the field was adaptable to other Sports and Singh said the answer requires a feasibility study.

Councillor Jeff Duncan asked about the challenges of putting the stadium in Erin but Singh said that would be considered once they decided where to locate the stadium.

Councillor Matt Sammut asked if there was a list of what the organization is looking for in the town. Singh said they have not yet identified criteria.

CPLT20 is kicking off with a tournament from Aug. 1 to 23 at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, which will be the league’s home until the new stadium is built.

Cheetham, who has been working with the organization since February, said he would maintain contact.

“I will be working with them as they look at what potential sites might be available,” he said. “We’ll help in any way we can to obviously accommodate them”

Other large municipalities CPLT20 is looking at are Pickering, Mississauga, Brampton and Milton.

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