Iconic Oakland Coliseum In The Mix To Host Cricket Matches At Los Angeles Olympics

For some time, top administrators had the grandiose vision of cricket being played at the iconic Oakland Coliseum.

Their wish was almost granted when it appeared the former long-time home of the Athletics and Raiders would be a venue for the 2024 T20 World Cup – the first major cricket event played in the U.S.

“We got really, really close with pulling that off as one of the venues,” Johnny Grave told me with the new chief of America’s Major League Cricket back then running Cricket West Indies, the co-host of last year’s World Cup.

“We were about to embark on a drop-in wicket trial, just to test how quickly it could be done, to prove to the Oakland Athletics, who were there at the time, that we could do it in the season.

“If MLB could have created a 10-day window then we could have had some World Cup games (at the Coliseum). But right at the last moment that failed.”

Now helming America’s well-heeled T20 franchise competition, Grave starts his tenure with the big news that MLC will launch its season at the Coliseum.

ForbesMajor League Cricket’s New Season Will Start At The Iconic Oakland ColiseumBy Tristan Lavalette

There will be nine matches played in Oakland from June 12-18 as it becomes the new home of San Francisco Unicorns, a franchise backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

“It was nice in the first week in the job to be able to reconnect with the guys in Oakland and say ‘look this time, we might well be able to get cricket played at the Coliseum’, which everyone knows from the Raiders, A’s and from Moneyball and everything else. It’s such an iconic venue,” Grave said.

The announcement has made an immediate splash and was reported in several major American publications, including The New York Times and Axios. MLC’s future at the Coliseum is unknown – it is currently a one-season arrangement – but hopes are high that it can be extended long-term and perhaps even be used as an Olympic venue.

A lively atmosphere, with around 12,000 fans tipped, at the MLC matches could sway Los Angeles 2028 decision makers. Cricket will end a 128-year Olympic drought but venues have yet to be determined, with the men’s and women’s competitions possibly extending beyond Los Angeles.

LA 2028 local committee chair Casey Wasserman did reveal late last year that the cricket competition could be played on the east coast although he did not name specific cities.

New York did stage eight T20 World Cup matches in June at its $30 million modular stadium in Long Island. The cricket ground was torn down immediately after the tournament, but billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the owner of MI New York in the MLC, reportedly has plans to build a world-class facility in the famous city.

Expansion is set for MLC with two teams to be added to the six-side tournament in 2027. Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago are on the shortlist with infrastructure a key staple and the successful cities could also be in the running to host Olympic matches.

As I reported last year, officials from the Bay Area and Seattle want to be in the mix to host cricket matches at the Los Angeles Olympics. Given its world-renowned status, and now granted a big stage to showcase its ability to host cricket matches, the Coliseum might just have the inside running.

“I certainly think that Oakland is a great option, being on the west coast and being such an iconic venue, and one that has such permanent capacity,” Grave said. “We are looking to work with USA Cricket to host games and teams in the build-up to the L.A. Games.

“The U.S. is a big growth area that most boards have identified, including the ICC, as a way to grow the sport.

“We’ll be encouraging and inviting as many teams to come and play the U.S. team in one of our stadiums and create as much fanfare around the L.A. Games.”