Town to develop full-size cricket field at Johnston Sports Park

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There will soon be new places for fans of cricket to enjoy the sport. 

At Caledon Council's October 8 General Committee meeting, Councillors approved a recommendation to develop a full-size cricket field in Johnston Sports Park; and, a neighbourhood-size cricket field adjacent to Inglewood Park.

A staff report from Michael Hoy, Caledon's Manager of Parks and Natural Heritage, said participation in the sport of cricket is exploding across the Greater Toronto Area. 

At present, there are no cricket fields in the Town of Caledon.

In Toronto, there's one cricket field per 100,000 residents and in Brampton, there's one per 35,000 residents.

“To address the Town's cricket field shortfall the (Parks and Recreation Strategy) recommends developing cricket pitches on the west side of the Town that cater to youth and adults,” reads the report.

A full-size cricket field is 140 by 120 metres and requires four acres of parkland. This is the equivalent of two regulation-size soccer fields. 

A neighbourhood-size cricket field is a new approach to the field which allows cricket to be played in areas with less space. The standard neighbourhood-sized cricket field in Toronto is 60 by 60 metres.

“Town-owned land adjacent to Inglewood Park offers an excellent opportunity to construct a neighbourhood-sized cricket field. This option would utilize existing park amenities, parking, and washrooms, without impacting an existing town sport field,” reads the report. “Johnston Sports Park is a district park that currently contains six soccer fields… phase five of the park's development includes the addition of two regulation soccer fields. With minor design changes staff can integrate a full-size cricket field over the planned soccer fields. This practice of integrating soccer and cricket fields is an approach taken by a number of GTA municipalities.”

The report goes on to note that in the medium to long-term, Caledon will continue to work to identify opportunities to add more cricket fields to its facilities roster.