SLC says it will bear full cost of Homagama Stadium
SLC has been on the watch and was exploring possibilities in acquiring a suitable land in the close vicinity of Colombo
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday said that a decision to seek land for a new international cricket stadium had been made to meet the rising popularity of the sport in the country, to create facilities that meet the demands of the world cricket, and it would bear the full costs of construction of the proposed stadium in Homagama.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday said that a decision to seek land for a new international cricket stadium had been made to meet the rising popularity of the sport in the country, to create facilities that meet the demands of the world cricket, and it would bear the full costs of construction of the proposed stadium in Homagama.
It was reported on Sunday that SLC and the government had been working towards building what would become the biggest cricket stadium in the country, and SLC issued a statement yesterday clarifying facts regarding the proposed stadium.
“For a considerable period of time, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been on the watch and was exploring possibilities in acquiring a suitable land closer to Colombo to build a fully-fledged International Cricket stadium with a view to accommodating 40,000 spectators, as the need has arisen with the popularity of the game of Cricket and to best suit the demands of the World Cricket. In the meantime, the proposal was extended to SLC by the Government of Sri Lanka allocating 26 Acre land in Homagama in order to build an international Cricket stadium at SLC’S cost. In view of the diverse climate and bio conditions in the Country, SLC has invested in International Level Cricket Stadiums around the country, which is aimed at playing in different seasons in consideration of the respective weather conditions,” the statement said.
“SLC having discussed the Homagama International Cricket Stadium project, called for an Expression of Interests from reputed Audit Firms in Sri Lanka to carry out a feasibility study on the finances associated with the project along with repayments of the capital expenditure to be staggered for a period of 15 years.”
For a considerable period of time, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been on the watch and was exploring possibilities in acquiring a suitable land closer to Colombo to build a fully-fledged International Cricket stadium with a view to accommodating 40,000 spectators
“In view of the increasing demand for the game and especially due to the popularity of the short formats of the game, the need has arisen to cater to large crowds with easy access in an urban environment. It should also be noted that ICC has now afforded the opportunity for member countries to express the Interest in staging the World Cup series in the respective countries for which it is expected to have at least five international level cricket stadiums in the country with a seating capacity of around 25,000 – 40,000,” it also said. Sri Lanka had also expressed interest in hosting two ICC World Cup events between 2023 and 2031, the statement also added.
“...this project will be an absolute and private investment of Sri Lanka Cricket and no government funds will be utilized and/or will be sought at any stage of the construction,” the statement also read.
SLC had already undertaken a massive refurbishment of the R. Premadasa Stadium, after two of its overhead stands had been found to in a dilapidated state.