Radical MCC plan to sell Lord’s for £2.5bn
The suggestion from Victoria state governor Linda Dessau that the MCC sell the Nursery Ground at Lord’s and build a new multi-sport stadium with the proceeds will be regarded as sacrilege by most members.
Yet it now emerges an even more radical plan has been mooted at a time hemmed-in Lord’s is falling behind other great world cricket locations such as the Adelaide Oval and the MCG.
Recent plans seen by Sports Agenda show Lord’s is worth a conservative £2.5billion for residential housing if sold in 25 parcels of land. The listed pavilion and main pitch would remain, allowing low-key and ceremonial matches to be played there.
With the massive proceeds, the MCC could spend £500m purchasing land elsewhere for what would be the fourth Lord’s cricket ground.
Around £1bn could then be spent on building an all-purpose, 45,000-seat ground with a retractable roof, with £1bn left to distribute among the MCC’s 18,000 members, who would each receive around £50,000.
Some members of the Lord’s establishment have been in favour of examining such a blueprint, including former chairman Sir Michael Jenkins who died in 2013, and West Indies’ 1975 World Cup-winning captain Clive Lloyd. NO sponsors have emerged for domestic england Tests since Investec pulled out a year ago — just halfway through a 10-year deal — in protest at financial rivals Nat-West becoming team sponsors. however, even though it would be a considerable embarrassment to the eCB if they did not attract a suitable replacement by next summer, they will not resort to a gambling-sector sponsor for such a marquee partnership. DESPITE all the sledging throughout this Ashes series — including comments which breached cricket’s code of conduct — relations between the sides were cordial enough at Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s reception for the players and their families at his official Sydney harbourside residence yesterday. There were no reports of head-butting or beer-throwing. Indeed, some of the rivals seemed to be bonding as they watched their children roll down the steep garden slope.