The new adapted sports hall was inaugurated on Sunday with a cricket initiation organized by Premium Cricket Club Brussels.
Until recently, Brussels cricket fans could only go to parks or outside the regional borders, such as in Waterloo or Wemmel. But the sport has been one of the most popular sports for years in countries such as Pakistan, India, Australia, England or Bangladesh. People from those communities in our capital therefore longed for good infrastructure, says Ans Persoons, Brussels State Secretary and board member in the Flemish Community Commission responsible for Sports. Especially now that the sport will be back at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 after 128 years.
The Sint-Niklaas Institute in Anderlecht turned out to be the ideal location for the indoor cricket sports hall, with some infrastructure work. In addition, batting cages will also be installed outside this summer. “This way you can play in the open air when the weather is good,” says Persoons.
‘Great diversity of sports preferences in Brussels’
Cricket Vlaanderen also invested and provided the floor covering and cricket equipment such as bats and balls. The federation will also play a role in after-school management in order to further relieve the burden on the school, it added.
“We are a very cosmopolitan city, and that means that there is also a great diversity of sports preferences in Brussels,” says Persoons. “Cricket is growing in popularity in Brussels, but lacks appropriate infrastructure. With these investments we are not supporting individuals, but entire communities that come into contact with each other.”
Cricket is currently less known among young people, says Hilde Devillé, general director of the Sint-Niklaas Institute. “By opening up this infrastructure, we hope to contribute to making this sport more widely known.”
