Ground was broken recently at Swyncombe Avenue on the construction of a new fine turf square and outfield, including the installation of new and improved irrigation and drainage.
Middlesex announced earlier this year that it had taken ownership of Swyncombe Avenue Sports Ground from GSK, with the venue earmarked as the new home of Women’s and Girls’ cricket in the county.
This exciting project has been made possible through significant grant funding from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) via its Strategic Urban Fund and the newly launched Grass Pitch Improvement Fund which will invest £5m of National Lottery funding over a three-year period in partnership with Sport England.
The project marks a critical step in Middlesex Cricket's ongoing efforts to transform the landscape of Women’s and Girls' cricket in the region and is being undertaken by specialist sports surface contractor Agripower.
The facility is expected to be ready for play in 2026, offering a first-class training and playing environment designed to support women and girl players at all levels, from recreational, right through the player pathway, to elite performance level, as well as providing important recreational facilities for members of the local community all year round.
Speaking of the project at Swyncombe Avenue, Josh Knappett, the Club’s Facilities and Projects Lead, commented:
“We are thrilled to begin fine turf construction on this important project at Swyncombe Avenue. This facility is a cornerstone of our commitment to creating a transformational step change in Women’s and Girls’ cricket.
“We are dedicated to providing the best environment possible for young girls and women to be inspired by the game, develop their skills, and benefit from the many positive aspects that the game of cricket offers, including health, social engagement, and for those that aspire to it, a career in the professional Women’s game.
“We are enormously grateful to the ECB for sharing our vision and plans for the future, and for supporting this project with partnership grant funding to get the first phase of the project underway.”
The ECB’s funding through the Strategic Urban Fund and Grass Pitch Improvement Fund underscores the governing body's commitment to increasing participation and improving infrastructure for Women’s and Girls’ cricket across England and Wales. The newly announced Grass Pitch Improvement Fund, in particular, is designed to help cricket tackle inequalities around access to safe, good quality grass cricket pitches. In this case, it brings a ground back into play that has not been used since 2019, re-opening the facility to not just women & girls, but also disability cricketers, diverse communities and others.
Bruce Cruse, ECB Director of Facilities, said:
“Our aim is to make cricket the most inclusive team sport, so we’re delighted to be helping fund this project which will create a new home for women’s and girls’ cricket in Middlesex. With the facility due to open in 2026, when England and Wales will host the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, we hope this will be another huge year for inspiring more women and girls to see cricket as a sport for them.”
