The Grande Prairie Cricket Association was back at City Hall to voice their findings regarding the status of cricket in Grande Prairie.
Cricket has been a hot topic in council chambers for some time, with numerous presentations both for and against expanding the sport in the city.
GPCA Vice President Wagar Khan spoke on the matter, saying cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports in Grande Prairie and across Canada, therefore, support from the city is needed for the GPCA to continue expanding its league and programs.
“Year over year we are growing and part of the reason is that there’s a lot of South Asian people and people from all around the world are moving, and they like cricket, they like to play cricket,” he says. “Cricket gives them another platform where they can come and engage and feel at home.”
The topic of potential cricket practice pitch locations has been a discussion among city councillors for some time, and Khan says he is happy that council seems to be more supportive than in years prior.
“I think everything takes time, once they realize how fast cricket is growing in the region, I think that’s when the attention will come and that’s what we’re looking for,” he says. “They’re asking questions, which is good, that means they do have interest, so all I can say is we’re looking forward to working with them and to growing cricket in the region.”
Khan adds that with support from the city, the GPCA can begin looking at team expansions, something the VP says has been in demand for a long time.
“Cricket has come so far and this year we have seen a lot of new people, there’s a lot of new members we cannot accommodate,” he says. “We have only one facility and we want to invest in our youth and in our women’s cricket as well, but we can’t because of the limited facility that we have.”
“The way we see interest, I can see in the next couple of years, we can easily reach 10 teams the way people are moving to Grande Prairie and the way they’re engaging in the community.”
City council’s Public and Protective Services Committee opted to continue the discussion in the council’s Committee of the Whole.