Five new all weather cricket domes are being planned for Birmingham, Bolton, Derby, Newcastle and Nottingham, giving grassroots cricket a £3 million boost and offering rain the first formal notice that its reign may be coming to an end.
The Government announced the investment on 9 June 2026, as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup began in England and Wales. The domes are intended to keep cricket going throughout the year, while also supporting other sports and activities. The red ball has therefore been promoted from sporting object to infrastructure adviser, a career move nobody saw coming except perhaps the cricket bag.
The plan is aimed at communities without high quality all weather facilities. The Government says the domes will support participation and help expand women’s and girls’ cricket. It is a sensible proposition, which makes it unusually vulnerable to the national tradition of announcing a building as though the ribbon cutting has already installed the staffing, bookings and heating.
The £3 million investment will be matched by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The five new sites are expected to open throughout the 2027 cricket season, allowing several communities to enjoy the rare administrative pleasure of receiving a sports facility after the announcement but before the commemorative plaque has had time to become historical evidence.
All five domes will be cricket led but available for other activities. Training and recreation can share the space with the community meeting where somebody says “making better use of the facility” and everyone looks towards the nearest radiator to see whether it has been included in the budget.
The timing is deliberate. A major women’s tournament can inspire people to try cricket, but inspiration is a short lived visitor if the nearest usable pitch is underwater, fully booked or protected by a timetable last updated when optimism was still considered a sufficient operating model.
So the announcement offers a straightforward bargain. Put facilities closer to people, keep them usable in bad weather and hope enthusiasm survives contact with the booking system. The red ball approves the principle, although it has requested a dome of its own in which to shelter from strategic plans.
By 2027, the real test will be whether these domes become busy community venues rather than expensive monuments to the phrase “year round participation”. If they do, Britain may finally defeat rain at cricket. Rain will appeal, naturally, on the grounds that it has been a permanent member of the national side and should not be dropped without a consultation.
Source: GOV.UK.
