The winner of the SAPCA Award 2025 for Large Project of the Year was the “Cricket Shield” facility at Bradford Park Avenue Cricket Club – a joint project between two SAPCA members, Total-Play and Fordingbridge.
Background
Bradford Park Avenue Cricket Club, a community cricket ground off Canterbury Avenue, is a popular venue that is used by thousands of Bradfordians every year. The club was looking to create a solution which would allow year-round play at the site.
The cost to build an indoor cricket nets facility with up to five lanes, complete with heating and lighting, however, could have been anything upwards of £5 million pounds, making it an expensive prospect.
Therefore, the club set out to find a solution which would increase the usage of an outdoor facility and boost participation, while limiting the costs involved.
Pitch perfect
Two SAPCA members combined to provide the club with the perfect answer. Total-Play designed an ECB-approved ‘hybrid’ – a non-turf cricket system for outdoor use – while Fordingbridge designed and supplied the structure to cover the playing area.
The ‘Cricket Shield’ facility features two 40mx20m covered domes with a state-of-the-art lighting system, elite cricket surface and a retractable netting system allowing for training and matchplay. The 10-lane indoor facility enables play all year round and in any weather.It provides organisations the chance to increase usage levels of a typical outdoor non-turf facility without the prohibitive costs of a permanent building.
It features:
• ECB-approved playing surface designed to simulate the performance of a natural pitch.
• A bespoke lighting system that meets the standards stated by the ECB.
• Safety of a ball-stop netting system designed to meet ECB guidance notes.
The Cricket Shield can also be used over an existing playing area, natural or artificial. It can host three, five and seven lanes, with a changing area for added player comfort in poor weather.
Total Play said: “The Bradford Park Avenue project has been a game changer, a pioneering new facility that transforms a traditional outdoor cricket practice facility into a covered facility for all round use.”
Outcomes and social value
Since the Cricket Shield has opened, the facility has had over 15,000 people use the system, ranging from single lane bookings to courts for tournaments. It has had a massive impact on participation.
The system has improved access to coaching with more one-to-one coaching available to participants. Bradford Park Avenue has also hosted the county pathways coaching programme.
The number of full court bookings at Bradford Park Avenue is over 100 and the demographic of the users is diverse
It has been used by cricketers of all standards – from grass roots to international players
With the Bradford Park Avenue facility a resounding success, Total-Play Ltd is poised to work on several more projects across the country in partnership with the ECB, while evolving the system with a view bringing costs within reach of more clubs and venues in the future.
