Back in November 2023, Bradford’s Park Avenuecricket ground opened the gates to a pioneering new facility to transform a traditional England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) approved outdoor cricket practice nets system into a covered facility for year-round use. To bring the pioneering £1.5m community inclusion project - funded by the ECB in partnership with City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council – from vision to reality, cricket pitch experts total-play Ltd worked alongside the ECB to develop a solution.

The result was a new, ten-lane facility featuring two 40mx20m covered domes with a state-of-the-art lighting system, elite cricket surface and a retractable netting system allowing for both training and matchplay. Here’s what Nasa had to say about the facility’s first twelve months in use:

Has the Cricket Shield™ had the impact on participation you had hoped?

“Since the domes opened in November 2023 we have had over 15000 people use the facility - ranging from single lane bookings to both courts for a tournament. I think we can say the domes have had a massive impact on participation and the spectrum of users is from world cup-winning international cricketer to the lad and his dad/mum using the facility.”

How has it, if at all, transformed coaching at the ground?

“We have had a lot of one-to-one coaching and have also hosted the county pathways coaching. That is the traditional organised coaching, but we do regularly a see couple of players book a lane and have an intense session amongst themselves.”

How many sessions have been booked in the past 12 months?

“According to the booking system we have had over 2,500 lanes booked to date. The number of full court bookings is over 100 and the demographic of our users is very diverse. We have users coming from as far as Doncaster and Hull and, from an inclusivity perspective, as well as many women’s teams using the facility we have welcomed both the Yorkshire disability team and the Bradford visually impaired team. It’s genuinely been used by cricketers of all standards – from grass roots to international players.”

Have there been any landmark events or famous names hosted in dome over the past 12 months?

“We launched the Northern Super Chargers’ 100-ball season from the domes with Andrew Flintoff coaching, while Pakistan Test Match captain Shan Masood attended a nets session here in his role as captain of Yorkshire CCC’s first team. We also hosted the ECB national tape ball competition and an event for the Sikh community, which attracted 24 teams from all over the country representing their Gurdwaras. We hosted a similar event in October for the local Mosque, so it is really bringing communities together.”

Would you recommend installing a similar facility to other clubs?

“I would definitely recommend the domes they are a massive game changer. total-play have been amazing in all they have done to design and build this facility, I’ve always been consulted and involved throughout the whole process.”

With the Bradford Park Avenue facility a resounding success, total-play Ltd is poised to work on several more projects across the country in partnership with the ECB, while evolving the system with a view bringing costs within reach of more clubs and venues in the future.

To find out more about Cricket Shield™, head to www.total-play.co.uk or email info@total-play.co.uk. To book a session in the Bradford Park Avenue ‘Cricket Dome’ click here.