By Alpha Barrie

Cricket Sierra Leone has commenced construction of four new international standard cricket grounds in Sussex, a picturesque coastal village near the capital city.

Francis Trevor Samura, the Chairman of Cricket Sierra Leone (CSL), said the latest is an audacious move, aimed at establishing another genuine cricket hub in the region, after the recent rise of Nigeria.

Speaking been made possible by the sport’s increasing profile in the country. This comes on the back of two main factors; cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics and the tireless work and lobbying done by the SLCA to the government.

“When we became members of the National Olympic Committee/ Commonwealth Games Association of Sierra Leone (NOC/CGA-SLE), instantly we attracted funding from the NOC. Look, as long as there is a proper qualifying pathway to the Olympics for Sierra Leone, the government will support our qualification games with funding, whether we qualify or not,” he said.

“In a country where Football dominates every sporting conversation and attracts around 90% to 95% of the total budget allocation for sports, the donation of 29.2 hectares of land at Sussex for cricket development by the government looms as a massive game changer for the sport. “We are so thankful and appreciative, as the land purchase alone would have cost over $1.5 million dollars,” Samura affirmed.

While construction has already begun, the board is currently working hard to raise additional funds to ensure that the project can meet all deadlines. “We are looking forward to development partners and sponsors to support us in constructing the facility in Sussex, which is a touristic area,” Chairman stated, adding Upon completion, the plot of land will be home to four international standard cricket grounds. “We will construct a cricket academy on it and state of the art indoor training facilities. We also intend to build around 40 outdoor cricket nets, so that the entire facility will be capable of hosting any ICC event, apart from World Cups.”

CSL is working to a five-year project timeline, the first phase of which involves the construction of the first two grounds. These are expected to be ready by the end of 2027, alongside the outdoor training facilities. And by 2030, Samura says that they hope to complete the final two grounds along with the indoor training facility. Work on the cricket academy will follow hereafter.

While the project is an ambitious undertaking, Samura has grander visions for the future. Similarly to Bhutan, he wants to use the finished facility to drive cricket tourism to the small West African nation of 8.4 million people. A country which is finally at peace and held its fifth general election in 2023, after a brutal 11-year-long civil war (1991-2002) had torn it apart two decades earlier.

“We want to build furnished apartment buildings nearby which will host players from visiting teams. We are also interested in developing the area for tourism, as the land contains a fantastic beach. The completed project will boost and transform Sierra Leone cricket, because conference halls, rooms for workshops, seminars and events will also be available. We can then use the proceeds from this investment to maintain the facilities and reinvest back into domestic cricket,” he states.

Additionally, there are other notable cricket infrastructure projects taking place concurrently. Construction has begun on a 17.7-hectare parcel of land, graciously donated to CSL by the Fourah Bay College administration. A public-private partnership, this initiative will deliver two new cricket ovals adjacent to downtown Freetown and is scheduled for completion by 2027.