• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Nz To Invest Usd 2 Million For Gender Neutral Upgrades In Stadiums

NZ to invest USD 2 million for gender-neutral upgrades in stadiums

Aryasekhar Chakraborty

In what comes as a great development as far as New Zealand sports is concerned, the New Zealand government has announced a USD 2 million package in order to upgrade the facilities at the five major stadiums in the country. The 5 major stadiums in the country are Basin Reserve, Seddon Park, University Oval, Hagley Oval and the NZC High-Performance Centre at Lincoln University. They are planning to make the venues gender-neutral ahead of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.

In all likelihood, the Eden Park in Auckland can host all three women’s world cups including cricket, football and rugby in the next 3 years. Preparations are being made to make it a gender-neutral venue. Meanwhile, the upgrades at the Tauranga’s Bay Oval has been accessed and has been considered “ acceptable”.

"What goes on behind the scenes is a huge part of what happens out on the field," ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 CEO Andrea Nelson was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "To achieve exceptional performances, players need access to appropriate facilities."

"This is what major events are all about. New Zealand's premier sporting venues and the players that grace them will benefit from these facility upgrades for many years to come. 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."

The focus for the upgrade of the stadium will be given on gender-equal facilities including the toilets which is the primary on their list. New Zealand’s deputy prime minister mentioned that the facilities in stadiums are generally tailor-made for men and is not always right for the women.

"Facilities that are tailored for men are not always right for women, and part of this funding is about changing that, so we are good hosts for the world's best women's players in 2022. Gender-neutral facilities are lacking at all levels of the sector and this needs to change in order to encourage more women and girls to participate in play, active recreation and sport."

"As well as providing high-quality and safe facilities for the Cricket World Cup teams, they'll provide an example of what good inclusivity looks like for everyone using the changing facilities regardless of gender, reducing barriers to participation," Robertson added.

"Hosting three women's world cups in three years is a massive opportunity to drive positive change and put New Zealand on the world map when it comes to women in sport."

Powered by Froala Editor

Discover more

Top Stories
news

Ishant Sharma looks in good shape ahead of tour Down Under

If the words of a BCCI observer is to be believed, Indian Test specialist Ishant Sharma “is looking good” after the lanky speedster bowled two long spells at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday under the watchful eyes of NCA chief Rahul Dravid and chairman of selectors Sunil Joshi. Ishant has been named in the preliminary Test squad but he has to prove his fitness before getting a nod from the bosses. Ishant is recovering from an abdominal muscle tear which he sustained during the recently concluded IPL. Ishant bowled two long spells and most of it came at full tilt. These are promising signs for India going into a high octane test series. However, a final decision on his fitness will be taken afterwards. Ishant bowled on the side pitches for 45 minutes during the lunch break of a 50 overs side corporate cricket match and then bowled close to an hour following the conclusion of the match. He also did his routine stretches and also returned for a brief fielding session of high and flat catches. One of the most vital cogs in the Indian pace attack in the longest format, Ishant is hoping to regain full fitness before the Australia series. What stood out as far as Ishant is concerned is the way he bowled. He didn’t look in any discomfort what so ever but it might be too early to come to a conclusion. Sharma has been following his rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was during his stint with the Delhi Capitals that he complained of a pain in the rib cage during a training session in Dubai. He had to pack his bags and return home after playing just a solitary match for DC this season. If declared fit, Ishant can start bowling from November 18 following which he needs to prove his match fitness to travel Down Under. If proven match fit, Ishant will travel to Australia separately to join the team.

news

Josh Hazlewood more than happy to play the opening Test in Gabba

Australia speedster Josh Hazlewood feels that Gabba could be the perfect venue to host the opening Test against India if the coronavirus crisis increases in Adelaide. As per reports, the COVID-19 cases in Adelaide has seen a surge in the last few days which might prompt the Australian cricket board to move the opening Test from Adelaide. As per the original schedule, Adelaide is slated to host the opening Test which will be India’s first day-night affair in foreign conditions. The neighbouring states have already closed their borders with South Australia. Hazlewood who will be a lynchpin in the Australian bowling attack in the upcoming Test series feels that it would be better for the fast bowlers to get the game out of the way in Brisbane before it gets too hot and starts favouring the batsmen. "It probably would be (the Gabba) to be fair. I think the longer we wait the hotter it gets up there so the quicks would all be happy to get that game done in early December. We obviously have a really good record (in Brisbane) and it's a great place to start," Hazlewood was quoted as saying to the reporters. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 spike has forced Test skipper Tim Paine into self-quarantine and the other players preparing for the Big Bash League has also been moved to a training camp on the coast of New South Wales. While Hazlewood is more than happy to play the opening Test in Gabba, the speedster feels that the Day-Night Test should only be played in Adelaide due to the nature of the wicket there. "He (curator Damian Hough) has got the wicket perfect at Adelaide for a pink-ball Test. A few grounds around Australia are too abrasive or too hard, such as the Gabba or Perth. Those wickets are too hard for a pink ball, it goes quite soft after a certain amount of time. "Could be red ball (first Test in) Melbourne or Brisbane or somewhere, then we head back to Adelaide later on in the summer. From all reports, we're still good for Adelaide but it can always change... hopefully they can get on top of it in the next week or two," Hazlewood said. India’s tour of Australia starts with the ODI series on November 27 followed by the 3-match T20I series and the Test series.

news

VVS Laxman feels T Natarajan could be X factor for India in T20 World Cup

From warming the benches in IPL 2019 to getting an India call-up for the tough tour Down Under, Thangarasu Natarajan’s journey has been nothing short of a fairytale. Despite being on his maiden international tour, his Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman spoke highly on the left-arm pacer and feels that he could be India’s X factor in theT20 World Cup slated to be played in India in 2021. Laxman said that Natarajan’s left-arm angle and his ability to bowl Yorkers on a consistent basis sets him apart from the rest of the Indian pacers. "With the T20 World Cup scheduled next year - if you look at the Indian team, it requires someone good at the death," Laxman was quoted as saying by The Hindu. "It is great to see the likes of Mohammed Shami and Navdeep Saini bowl with such confidence in the death. Natarajan being a left-armer will be the X-factor." Natarajan was a revelation in the recently concluded IPL and the way he rose through the ranks in a short span of time is simply commendable. He bowled Yorkers at will troubling majority of the top class batters. The highlight for Natarajan this season was the Yorker he bowled to AB de Villiers which castled his timbers. Meanwhile, Natarajan learnt to bowl the Yorkers while playing tennis ball cricket for his hometown Salem. He realized the fact that in order to keep the pace up, he needs to bowl Yorkers and the tennis balls tend to lose pace after getting hit on the clay surfaces. It must be noted that Natarajan bowled 71 yorkers in the IPL, 43 more than Karthik Tyagi, who was 2nd in the list. He ended the tournament with 16 wickets under his belt but his ability to contain in the death overs and consistently bowl in the blockholes made everyone take notice of the 29-year-old. "He has been doing well right from the practice matches before the IPL began in the UAE," Laxman said. "The kind of confidence level he showed right from the start was amazing. That is the reason why we gave him the chance ahead of Khaleel Ahmed and once Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) was ruled out with an injury, he became an important cog in the attack." Meanwhile, Laxman further stated that Natarajan's yorker skills were well known from the TNPL but he was pretty impressed with the variations that Natrajan have up his sleeve. Though he managed to make a name for himself with his yorkers, Natarajan also bowled the slower ones and the bouncers with some confidence. "Natarajan was always known for those yorkers - even in the TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League). But, I must say he's got a lot of variations which he didn't use in the IPL. He has a sharp bouncer, slower one, off-cutter, and has the wicket-taking ability with the new ball. "Essentially, Natarajan has the mindset and the confidence of executing yorkers which we generally believe to be the toughest to deliver. And, he has done consistently and exceedingly well through the IPL, the pick of them being the dismissal of RCB's AB de Villiers under pressure." "Natarajan is a hard-working cricketer who never missed a training session and is always wanting to work on his skills to be a much better bowler every day," Laxman said. "He has been doing really well in the TNPL, he was part of Kings XI Punjab, he did well consistently for Tamil Nadu in Ranji Trophy. "He didn't get too many opportunities in SRH (in 2018 and 2019) because of the likes of Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being the frontline bowlers."