News

DUBLIN – The Board of Cricket Ireland has unanimously approved a strategic £1 million investment into a joint project at the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association (NICSSA) site in Belfast. This funding will support the delivery of Phase 1 of a longer-term master plan aimed at redeveloping the site’s sporting, health, and wellbeing facilities.

This investment aligns with both the Cricket in Ireland Strategic Plan 2024–2027 and the Cricket Ireland Facilities Strategy, which highlight Cricket Ireland’s commitment to strengthening infrastructure across the island to support the sustainable growth of the sport.

Phase 1 (full funding package to be confirmed) is designed to deliver tangible and lasting outcomes, such as:

• A fit-for-purpose venue capable of hosting matches during the 2030 T20 World Cup; and priority access to high-performance training and match facilities for both Irish international and domestic cricket.
• Permanent infrastructure, including seating and broadcast facilities, designed to improve the spectator experience especially for groups often underrepresented at sporting events, such as young families and older people;
• High-quality indoor and outdoor training spaces to support wider community engagement, broaden cricket’s appeal, and make the sport more accessible and inclusive.

Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, said:

“The NICSSA Sports Precinct is a fundamentally important venue for Irish cricket – it not only features one of our leading international grounds but provides crucial space for community and domestic representative cricket to take place. The Stormont Cricket Ground holds a great fondness for Irish fans for the many international matches it has held over the years – most notably the Test Match last year against Zimbabwe.

“Numerous reports over the years have highlighted that there is a lack of quality training and playing facilities on the island of Ireland. We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make major in-roads into resolving these issues.

“The proposed redevelopment of the NICSSA facilities is a project that the Board is fully supportive of, and it has unanimously approved a £1 million strategic investment in Phase 1 of the development.

“If you consider this project, the new Stadium at Abbottstown and our direct support for facilities upgrade proposals at Bready and Malahide, we are demonstrating our resolve to tackle the facilities and infrastructure deficits in a substantial manner.”

Cricket update

• The Board approved additional expenditure to support more men’s cricket for this season as an offset with the European T20 Premier League’s deferral to 2026.

Facilities updates

The Board was informed that:

• the installation of five new hybrid pitches (three at Stormont and two at Lisburn) has been successfully completed. Reports are that the pitches have bedded in well and will see their first use in coming weeks.
• the Cricket Ireland Club Fund distributions are underway (further details to be announced shortly).

Governance updates

The Board also:

• approved a change to the Terms of Reference of the Management Committee that will see that Committee take on the responsibilities of the Match Allocation Group (which will in turn be disbanded). This will avoid duplication of effort and streamline decision-making around the allocation of international and domestic representative matches each year.
• directed the Governance Committee to undertake a Board Evaluation in 2026.
• approved a new auditor for 2025 – this will be announced as soon as relevant agreements are completed.
• approved the proposed composition of Board sub-committees for 2025-26 (which will be posted on the Cricket Ireland website shortly).

The Board additionally agreed the Terms of Reference for the review of the organisation’s operating model. The purpose of the Review is to ensure that Cricket Ireland is fit-for-purpose as it prepares for a new period of growth and to meet the challenges and opportunities over coming years. The Review process, which will be overseen by a sub-committee of the Board, will be seeking outcomes around, most notably, international cricket, financial sustainability and facilities. It is anticipated that the Review process will be completed later this year.

Other updates

The Board additionally received the news of CEO Warren Deutrom’s resignation (see news) and impending departure at the end of August 2025. Board Directors acknowledged and thanked Mr Deutrom for his almost 19 years of service. A comprehensive and thorough recruitment process to select the next CEO will begin shortly.