A couple of weeks ago, Richard Thompson, chairman of the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was interviewed by Dan Roan of the BBC at the opening of the country’s second all-weather cricket “dome” in Darwen, Lancashire.
With the (understandable) focus at the time on playing schedules in the County game and player workloads, the main story from the interview was how players were “exhausted” by an “unrelenting” schedule.
And, with no resolution of the problematic 4-day schedule for 2026, the schedule will only become more compressed as the Hundred claims more of the summer.
But Thompson’s comments on the new dome, and on progress towards the goals set out by the ICEC report, got little further coverage. Which seemed slightly strange, to me.
“The ECB wants to build 40 of the facilities…”
Thompson was quoted as saying that the ECB’s ambition was to see 40 new domes built “…to improve opportunities in towns and cities for state-school children to play all year round, and make the sport more inclusive.”
An admirable ambition, certainly.
A quick calculation, using figures published by the ECB earlier this year (see below), shows that the cost of 40 4-lane domes comes to £48 million.
The “windfall” from the Hundred has promised £50 million for the grassroots game.
When asked whether enough had been done to make the English game more inclusive since the 2023 ICEC report, Thompson said “…These centres, these domes, are a way of demonstrating that we’re trying to reach communities we’ve never reached before.”
It will need more than demonstration.
From Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility — Developing Your Project, April 2025 [PDF]
“…costs for a Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility project range from £200k to £300k per lane (based on 4th Quarter 2024 prices and ex VAT).”
“This should be set in the context of current costs for constructing fully indoor, heated cricket centres which can be £400k to £1.2 million per lane and operating costs are also greater because the spaces are heated.”
The calculation
For a single dome, comprising 4 lanes each costing £300,000, the cost would be 4x£300,000 = £1,200,000
40 domes would then cost 40x£1,200,000 = £48,000,000
This figure does not include the costs for the ground the domes will be built on, nor changing facilities. Running costs, and staffing also not included.
The new “domes” are described as a “climate protection system for covered outdoor cricket facilities.”
From the ECB spec for such structures: “…in the winter the playing environment will be close to outside air temperature but warmed slightly by activity, the lighting system and reduced wind chill.”
Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility — Design Guide, May 2025 [PDF]
The Teesra 
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