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New plans have been revealed to build a £5m grassroots cricket facility in Worcestershire to help make the sport more accessible to all communities.
The proposed Moeen Ali International Cricket Centre, to be built on farming land just outside Kidderminster, would include a state-of-the-art ground, pavilion and indoor cricket centre.
The proposed site is the currently unused Waresley Park, at Hartlebury.
Roger Newman and Moeen’s cousin Kabir Ali are also behind the £5m project.
“This will help young men and young girls improve their lives through cricket,” said former Warwickshire youth coach and Devon director of cricket Newman.
“It meets every need, in a beautiful part of the country and we want lots of people to experience it.
“Nothing like this has ever been done before. We can look to bring in kids from inner cities in India, South Africa and Pakistan.”
Over the next few weeks, local residents will be asked to give their views about the plans.
Former England fast bowler Kabir’s Inner City Champs Association then intends to apply for planning permission with Wychavon District Council in April – and wants the Moeen Ali Centre to be up and running by the summer of 2025.
Kabir, who like his younger cousin Moeen also played for Worcestershire and England, was previously involved in helping to set up the South Asian Cricket Academy in Birmingham, and is currently on the Yorkshire coaching staff.
He said that children from less affluent backgrounds needed facilities like the one proposed for Hartlebury to get into the sport.
“It’s a very expensive game,” said Kabir. “For a youngster from an inner city looking to start, just to get half-decent equipment would cost £500-600.
“The game has given us so much. We have to give something back.”
M5 Sports Management Group, the non profit-making body who would run the project, estimate that, after the initial £5m building cost, it would then need a further £1m per year to run.
Newman said he hoped to attract funding from the England and Wales Cricket Board, the MCC and Worcestershire CCC.
It is the second proposal for a new sporting facility in Worcestershire this week, following non-league football club Worcester City’s announcement that they have found a site on the edge Worcester where they hope to build a new home.
Hartlebury is one of the few decent-sized villages in Worcestershire without a cricket club.
Warwickshire all-rounder Moeen, 36, part of England’s squad for the recent Cricket World Cup, is currently preparing for a five-game T20 series in the Caribbean against the West Indies, who they also play in three one-day internationals, the first of which is on Sunday.
By Ged Scott
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