Sport NZ is pleased to play a key role in the announcement of the $2 million in Government funding for player facilities at the five venues for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.

The Minister for Sport and Recreation Hon Grant Robertson has today joined representatives of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2022 Local Organising Committee and Cricket Wellington at the Basin Reserve to announce the new investment. As well as the Basin Reserve, the other venues are Seddon Park, Hagley Oval, University Oval and the NZ Cricket High Performance Centre at Lincoln University.     

The upgrades focus on redevelopment of player facilities, including individual shower cubicles and toilets, to make them gender neutral and of a standard befitting the world’s best players.

The Basin Reserve is the first of five cricket training and game venues to be upgraded to provide fit-for-purpose, future proof, multi-sport changing rooms.        

The $2 million investment in Women’s Cricket World Cup venue upgrades (match schedule to be announced next month) follows an initial $7.3 million allocation for World Cup venues announced as part of the $265m Sport Recovery Package. That investment covered upgrades to facilities at the match venues and training grounds for Rugby World Cup 2021, as well as the scoping of upgrades for Cricket World Cup and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cups.

This project is directly aligned to the Government's 2018 Strategy for Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation. Providing these appropriate, high-quality and safe facilities will help ensure that women and girls, in all roles, are visible, feel positive about the contribution they make, and value being involved and participating in all levels of sport and active recreation.

The new facilities will also provide an example of what good inclusivity looks like for everyone using the changing facilities regardless of gender, reducing barriers to participation.

While the CWC22 events will provide economic stimulus and generate greater interest in the game, there will be wider valuable social and physical activity outcomes resulting from this project, with the aim of increasing women and girls participating in sport.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 CEO Andrea Nelson says that as host nation of this global sports event, it’s important that we provide world class venues and facilities for the teams competing in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 (CWC22).  

“Beyond the nationwide celebration of cricket in 2022, the CWC22 legacy will improve the experience of our women and girls in cricket for future generations. This is what major events are all about. We’re very pleased that this World Cup will be the catalyst for meaningful change for many of New Zealand’s premier sporting venues and the players that will benefit from these facility upgrades for many years to come.”