Latest news with #Grave
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
USA Cricket declares bold new era, sets sight on full ICC membership, game-changing expansion plans around LA Olympics
From being the CEO of Cricket West Indies for seven years to now leading Major League Cricket (MLC), Johnny Grave's new mission could redefine the global cricketing order. And in less than half a year into his new role, the Englishman has hit the ground running. Grave has already overseen MLC's expansion to three active venues for 2025, pulling off a coup by securing the Oakland Coliseum as a host ground. 'We've got to be ready with cricket in America to capitalize on that, both in terms of the greater enthusiasm it will generate at the grassroots level, in the schools and the colleges, and also in terms of the fan base, and not making it just a one-off,' he told Cricbuzz. As MLC gears up for a pivotal few years with the LA28 Olympics on the horizon, Grave believes America is sitting on an untapped goldmine. But transforming that promise into permanence will take more than showpiece events. 'How do we take those fans from the Olympics and move them through into becoming really sticky and engaged cricket fans, and actually getting them to actively support our MLC teams and the US national teams, because we need those teams to build their own fan bases,' said Grave. Grave is also looking to reshape the grassroots structure and revenue model for Minor League Cricket (MiLC), which currently runs on personal investment from private owners. 'We have had really positive talks with the owners about redefining the business model for Minor League to help ensure it becomes more sustainable, both from a league perspective and the individual teams,' he said. 'There is definitely value within Minor League and we've seen that in the last few months, with ownership changing, different investors coming into the individual teams.' Player development is also at the heart of Grave's blueprint. With full-time earnings for the majority of American cricketers still meagre, his aim is to establish a structure where pursuing cricket professionally is financially viable. 'We've had really good discussions with the US players' union. We're probably going to be the first league in the US to sign an agreement with the players' union… what USA-based cricketers are earning now compared to their Associate Member counterparts would be significantly ahead of any other team,' he said. Grave believes USA Cricket could soon make a strong case for full ICC membership, if it fixes its governance flaws. 'I think USA Cricket already has a very compelling case to become an ICC full member… The one concern I think the game of cricket might have would be the ongoing governance challenges that the board has faced over pretty much all of its recent history,' he noted. His understanding of ICC systems, gained through his years at the helm of a full-member board, could be key in lobbying for a unique pathway. 'Certainly everything that we're planning to do with Minor League Cricket and expanding the academy network, and with MLC already a premier domestic T20 tournament on the global stage… it is only going to assist the case.' Grave isn't just building a league. He's helping awaken a sleeping giant. And if the plans take shape, American cricket may soon do more than just catch up—it might well start leading the conversation.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Building the future: MLC CEO Johnny Grave's mission to unify and professionalise US Cricket
File photo of Johnny Grave, the MLC CEO. Johnny Grave, former CEO of Cricket West Indies, has taken charge as the new CEO of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States, transitioning from managing an established cricket nation to leading a T20 league in America. In his first four months, Grave has expanded MLC venues from two to three for the 2025 season, including securing the Oakland Coliseum, and is working to establish cricket infrastructure while preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The move to secure Oakland Coliseum required coordinating the shipment of drop-in pitches from New York and assembling international pitch curators to ensure T20-standard surfaces. This expansion comes after criticism of wicket quality during the 2023 T20 World Cup. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Grave faces the challenge of organising America's fragmented cricket landscape, which includes Minor League Cricket (MiLC), various T20 leagues, and century-old summer leagues. He aims to create a unified structure between MLC and USA Cricket. MLC2025 Domestic Draft Show "The road map should be very clear that by playing in an academy, playing in a local league, getting selected for Minor League cricket and from Minor League cricket, playing in those open tournaments and then continuing to perform will lead you into getting drafted for Major League and then hopefully to USA colours. That's probably where we need a bit more alignment with, with all the ownership group and all the cricket that's been placed, and bring a bit of structure into that," Grave stated in a conversation with Cricbuzz. MLC has secured nearly $100 million in Series A and B funding rounds. The league is working to create sustainable business models for Minor League Cricket, where team ownership currently costs up to $160,000 per season. "We have really positive talks about redefining the business model for Minor League to help them become sustainable, both from a league perspective and the individual owners. And I think one of the things that's become very clear is that there is a sustainable vision for Minor League," Grave explained. Players with both MLC and USA Cricket contracts can earn approximately $120,000 annually, reaching $135,000 with additional tournament earnings. However, mid-to-lower tier players earn between $10,000 and $40,000 annually. "We've had really good discussions with the players' union. We're probably going to be the first league in the US to sign an agreement with the players' union, which mainly focuses on the domestic players and supporting them and being seen as a player-friendly ecosystem is really important to us," Grave said. Grave believes the U.S. could achieve ICC full member status with proper infrastructure development. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics presents a significant opportunity for cricket's growth in America. "The LA28 Olympics will have an amazing boost to the sport at all levels. And we've got to be ready with USA cricket to capitalise on that, both in terms of greater enthusiasm in the grassroots, in the schools and the colleges, but also in terms of the fan base, and not making it just a one-off," Grave emphasised. During his tenure at Cricket West Indies, Grave helped revive international cricket during the pandemic by organising the England vs. West Indies Test series under bio-bubble protocols. The Caribbean Premier League became the first T20 franchise league to resume during COVID under his leadership. "I think the US already has a very compelling case to become a full member infrastructurally with all the MLC has been putting in. The one concern I think that the game of cricket would have would be the ongoing governance challenges that the board has faced over pretty much all of its recent history," Grave noted regarding USA Cricket's ICC membership prospects.
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Iconic Oakland Coliseum In The Mix To Host Cricket Matches At Los Angeles Olympics
The Oakland Coliseum will be home to MLC franchise San Francisco Unicorns (Photo by Eakin ...) For some time, top administrators had the grandiose vision of cricket being played at the iconic Oakland Coliseum. Their wish was almost granted when it appeared the former long-time home of the Athletics and Raiders would be a venue for the 2024 T20 World Cup - the first major cricket event played in the U.S. "We got really, really close with pulling that off as one of the venues," Johnny Grave told me with the new chief of America's Major League Cricket back then running Cricket West Indies, the co-host of last year's World Cup. "We were about to embark on a drop-in wicket trial, just to test how quickly it could be done, to prove to the Oakland Athletics, who were there at the time, that we could do it in the season. "If MLB could have created a 10-day window then we could have had some World Cup games (at the Coliseum). But right at the last moment that failed." Now helming America's well-heeled T20 franchise competition, Grave starts his tenure with the big news that MLC will launch its season at the Coliseum. There will be nine matches played in Oakland from June 12-18 as it becomes the new home of San Francisco Unicorns, a franchise backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists. "It was nice in the first week in the job to be able to reconnect with the guys in Oakland and say 'look this time, we might well be able to get cricket played at the Coliseum', which everyone knows from the Raiders, A's and from Moneyball and everything else. It's such an iconic venue," Grave said. The Oakland Athletics were based at Oakland Coliseum for decades (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty ... More Images) The announcement has made an immediate splash and was reported in several major American publications, including The New York Times and Axios. MLC's future at the Coliseum is unknown - it is currently a one-season arrangement - but hopes are high that it can be extended long-term and perhaps even be used as an Olympic venue. A lively atmosphere, with around 12,000 fans tipped, at the MLC matches could sway Los Angeles 2028 decision makers. Cricket will end a 128-year Olympic drought but venues have yet to be determined, with the men's and women's competitions possibly extending beyond Los Angeles. LA 2028 local committee chair Casey Wasserman did reveal late last year that the cricket competition could be played on the east coast although he did not name specific cities. New York did stage eight T20 World Cup matches in June at its $30 million modular stadium in Long Island. The cricket ground was torn down immediately after the tournament, but billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the owner of MI New York in the MLC, reportedly has plans to build a world-class facility in the famous city. Expansion is set for MLC with two teams to be added to the six-side tournament in 2027. Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago are on the shortlist with infrastructure a key staple and the successful cities could also be in the running to host Olympic matches. Last year's cricket T20 World Cup was played in New York (Photo by J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday ... More RM via Getty Images) As I reported last year, officials from the Bay Area and Seattle want to be in the mix to host cricket matches at the Los Angeles Olympics. Given its world-renowned status, and now granted a big stage to showcase its ability to host cricket matches, the Coliseum might just have the inside running. "I certainly think that Oakland is a great option, being on the west coast and being such an iconic venue, and one that has such permanent capacity," Grave said. "We are looking to work with USA Cricket to host games and teams in the build-up to the L.A. Games. "The U.S. is a big growth area that most boards have identified, including the ICC, as a way to grow the sport. We'll be encouraging and inviting as many teams to come and play the U.S. team in one of our stadiums and create as much fanfare around the L.A. Games."
Axios
26-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Oakland Coliseum to host Major League Cricket matches this summer
Some of the world's best cricket players are coming to the Oakland Coliseum this summer. Why it matters: It will mark the U.S. Major League Cricket's inaugural presence on the West Coast and comes after Oakland has lost three major sports teams in recent years. Though not as familiar to Americans, cricket is widely considered the second biggest global sport behind soccer, with over 2.5 billion fans worldwide. Driving the news: Major League Cricket (MLC) announced a deal Wednesday allowing the Oakland Coliseum to host nine matches this year June 12-18. The games will kick off the league's tournament, which will span 34 matches across three venues through the first week of July. MLC is the first professional Twenty20 cricket championship in the U.S. and currently features six teams, including the San Francisco Unicorns. (T20 is one of three forms of cricket recognized by the International Cricket Council.) The Oakland Coliseum will be adapted to accommodate the matches, including installation of specialized drop-in turf wickets that meet international standards. The seven-day gameplay is projected to deliver a $3 million economic boost to Oakland. Ticket prices will start at $20. What they're saying: MLC has been eyeing the Coliseum since 2022, CEO Johnny Grave told Axios. Its field size advantage, coupled with the "huge number of known cricket fans from South Asia" who now reside in the Bay Area, make it a "recipe for success," Grave said. The hope is to return to the Coliseum on a regular basis and potentially even partner to host events for the U.S. national team. MLC is "very, very serious about investing in the sport, developing these home venues across the United States and expanding from six to 10 teams over the next few years," Grave added. How it works: A typical Twenty20 game takes around 3.5 hours with two innings that each last 90 minutes and a 10-minute break in between. A deviation from the days-long (up to five!) matches, the format was introduced in 2003 to create a fast-paced game that would be attractive to spectators and TV viewers. The sport is similar to baseball but features a flat bat; a hard, leather-covered ball; an oval-like field and a rectangular pitch that sees players run between two "wickets." Knock over those wickets while the player is still running and they're out. The batting team tries to score as many runs as possible. 👋 Claire Reilly's Aussie thought bubble: Thanks to its English roots, cricket is largely followed in Commonwealth countries across South Asia, as well as the UK, South Africa and the West Indies. It's also one of the most popular summer sports in Australia and New Zealand. Like a lot of Americans with a summer fondness for baseball, the sound of cricket games on the radio defines summer in Australia for me. The big picture: MLC launched in the U.S. in 2023 with the Unicorns among its inaugural teams. They don't have a home venue yet but some key players include Haris Rauf, Corey Anderson and Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who currently studies at San José State. They are owned by tech entrepreneurs Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, who co-founded Cambrian Ventures and Kosmix (now known as Walmart Labs). The league estimates over 100 million fans worldwide watched its tournament last year and is aiming to grow the sport across the U.S. Fun fact Cricket was recently confirmed as an official event at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
New York Times
26-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Major League Cricket coming to the Oakland Coliseum for historic June tournament
Cricket will be making its debut on the West Coast of the United States when Major League Cricket hosts a seven-day, nine-match event at the Oakland Coliseum. The Coliseum event, which runs June 12-18, will feature the first top-tier cricket matches played on the West Coast. The week-long event kicks off MLC's third season and will be the first leg of a three-city schedule for MLC that will continue to Grand Prairie, Texas, and then to Lauderhill, Fla., before culminating in a championship match. It is the first time MLC has hosted matches in California and Florida. The 34-match schedule is its biggest so far and the largest top-tier cricket schedule ever hosted in the U.S. Advertisement 'Season three (of MLC) is a big step up, not just in the number of matches, but also the venues that we're going through too,' MLC CEO Johnny Grave said. 'Major League Cricket continues to grow with some of the best players in the world coming for this month of cricket celebration. We're serious about growing the game.' Though not yet one of the major sports in the U.S., cricket is the second-most followed sport in the world and has continued to gain prominence in this country, especially following the national team's upset over traditional power Pakistan in the 2024 Men's Cricket World Cup. Some of the sport's top players participate in MLC, which runs its season to fit into the international cricket calendar. MLC has six teams, including three West Coast clubs — the San Francisco Unicorns, Los Angeles Knight Riders and Seattle Orcas. According to the league, more than 100 million people streamed MLC matches or watched them on television around the world last year. The league plays in a Twenty-20 or T20 format, which is a more condensed version of traditional cricket matches and comprises two, 120-ball innings, one per team. T20 matches generally run a similar length to a baseball game. Grave estimates that roughly $1 billion will be invested into growing cricket in the U.S. ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where the sport will return for the first time in more than 100 years. 'Hopefully (the MLC tournament is) a big statement as to how big we think the sport can be in this country,' Grave said. The MLC event comes to the Coliseum during a transitional period for the historic venue, which opened its doors in 1965 and until this season had annually hosted either professional U.S. football or Major League Baseball games (or both). The Oakland Raiders moved to Las Vegas ahead of the 2020 NFL season and the Oakland Athletics left the Coliseum at the end of the 2024 MLB season. Advertisement In their place, the Coliseum is now home to the USL Championship league Oakland Roots soccer team, which broke a team record with more than 26,000 fans at their home opener last Saturday. MLC is hoping for similar-sized crowds for its event, which will include evening matches during the week and weekend day/night doubleheaders. General admission tickets are $20 and went on sale Wednesday morning on the MLC website. 'Bringing more of this kind of activity to the Coliseum brings the community together, and also creates jobs, and improves revenue to fund vital public services. Our region has the largest proportion of cricket fans in America, and the most passionate,' Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan, who also serves in leadership on the board of the Coliseum Authority, said in a statement. Because of its dimensions and location, the Oakland Coliseum has been an appealing target for those interested in hosting major cricket events in the U.S. In 2022, Grave said the ICC was close to an agreement to have the Coliseum host 2024 Cricket World Cup matches before the negotiations fell through. Now that MLC is officially hosting matches at the Coliseum, Grave is hopeful that they will be able to continue to hold events there in the coming years. He believes playing at a venue like the Coliseum 'will hopefully turn a few heads and get Americans to think that there's a reason why cricket is the second-biggest sport, because it's one of the most exciting sports you can watch.' 'If we can bring the best stars in the world to the Bay Area, to such an iconic venue like the Coliseum, playing in the shortest format of the game played under lights, so people can go after school and work, then hopefully it's a winning formula to not just provide fantastic entertainment to loyal sports fans of the Coliseum, but also for cricket fans in the Bay Area,' Grave said. Locally, playing matches in Oakland will be a boon for the San Francisco Unicorns, who will get to compete in front of their hometown fans for the first time (all previous season MLC matches were played in Texas or North Carolina). The Unicorns feature several internationally renowned cricket players, including Haris Rauf, opening bowler for the Pakistan national team, and Jake Fraser-McGurk, a member of the Australian national team who is currently playing in the Indian Premier League, as well as a local rising star, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who attends San Jose State University. Advertisement 'We're very excited about bringing games to the Bay Area and to the very high-density South Asian market that lives here in the Bay Area because we know that cricket is more than a game to them — it's a religion,' San Francisco Unicorns CEO David White said. 'We know from all the stats and fan data that there's a huge audience for cricket in the Bay Area,' Grave added. White spent last Saturday at the Roots home opener and was thrilled with the atmosphere the Roots brought to the Coliseum. 'They did a fantastic job,' White said. 'We'll be looking to replicate our own version of that.' The Coliseum has the largest baseball playing surface in the U.S. and can therefore be most easily converted into an international standard cricket field. Though the Coliseum has seen numerous field conversions over the years when the Raiders and A's shared the stadium, the process of converting the Coliseum to feature a full-sized cricket playing surface will be unique. Cricket utilizes a 22-yard strip called a wicket that will need to be 'dropped into' the Coliseum playing surface. The wicket that will be utilized at the Coliseum is currently in Nassau County, N.Y., where it was most recently used at the World Cup. The strip, which sits on a metal plate, will be trucked out to Oakland in two pieces. It will live in the parking lot of the stadium until it can be installed ahead of the MLC event and then uninstalled as soon as the event ends, so the Roots can continue their home schedule. This field conversion process is commonplace in Australia and New Zealand, where professional cricket matches are often played in the same stadiums as Australian Rules Football matches, but it is rare in the U.S. In addition to the tournament, MLC plans to make further investment into growing cricket in the Bay Area and around the U.S. MLC runs Minor League Cricket that develops talent throughout the country, and White said the Unicorns are looking into building a youth program in the Bay Area and eventually building a permanent cricket stadium for the team. Advertisement 'We want to make sure we're getting more kids into the game because we ultimately know that's the starting point,' White said. Educating those in the U.S. without a cricket background about the game remains one of MLC's top priorities, but White is optimistic that the more exposure cricket gets to a U.S. audience, the more popular it will become. 'I do feel like there's a strong appetite to learn it as it's not a hard entry-point game,' White said, comparing it to baseball. 'Someone bowls a ball, same as pitching it, and then someone hits it, and the farther they hit it, the more runs they get. So it's, in that sense, quite easy to learn. 'There (are) obviously some nuances within the rules, but when you see exciting things happen on a regular basis (in the matches), that tends to excite people who want to come along.' (Top photo of the Coliseum in 2024: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
