Government commits £1.5m to two new cricket domes while Labour calls Sunak’s £35m pledge a fantasy
The UK government has announced £1.5 million for indoor cricket domes in Luton and Lancashire, raising questions about the feasibility of a previously promised £35 million boost to grassroots cricket.
The government has allocated £1.5m for two new indoor sport domes in Luton and Lancashire, but the fate of a wider £35m cricket funding pledge remains uncertain.
Funding shortfall casts doubt on earlier promises
Last year, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a £35m package aimed at transforming cricket facilities in state schools, describing it as a "seminal moment" for the sport. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) planned to build 16 domes across England by 2029, providing all-weather, year-round practice venues.
A £14m share of the original funding was to support charities including ACE, Chance to Shine and the Lord’s Taverners, with the goal of engaging one million state school pupils in cricket. But government spending cuts have since left those plans in jeopardy.
Two domes confirmed, wider plan in doubt
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the £1.5m award during a visit to Leyland Cricket Club in Lancashire, describing Sunak’s earlier pledge as "a fantasy" with no actual funds attached. She said the new investment was "a significant step" amid tight public finances and emphasised sport’s power to change lives and create opportunities.
Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston highlighted the need to expand school-level cricket and deliver world-class facilities for local communities, pledging to continue championing sports funding despite uncertainty over the government’s commitment.
Domes set to transform local communities
The Luton dome, a seven-lane facility in Lewsey Park, is due to open in early 2026 and will also host hockey, tennis and badminton. The five-lane dome at Farington, near Preston, is scheduled for summer 2025 and will serve as a hub for Lancashire County Cricket Club’s age-group, women’s and disability teams.
ECB chair Richard Thompson said these state-of-the-art domes "will be transformative for the communities they serve, opening up cricket to more people year round and providing top-class facilities for elite players." A pilot dome built in Bradford opened in autumn 2023, and two further ECB-part-funded domes in Walsall and Darwen are under development.
Delivering modern, all-weather cricket facilities is seen as crucial for broadening access, but doubts remain over the government’s ability to back its larger funding promise.
This topic was reported by BBC Sport.
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