Menu
Facilities

Sydney Cricket Ground Transforms For MLB, Protecting Historic Venue In Race Against Time

The construction of the outfield wall for the Dodgers-D-Backs series in Australia this weekend "was one of several obstacles" architect Scott Eggelton overcame to prepare the Sydney Cricket Ground, and "chief among the concerns was time," according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. TIMES. The 38,000-seat venue's "final cricket game of the season was played Feb. 26." MLB Field & Facilities Coordinator Murray Cook said, "We started building Feb. 27." SCG Curator Tom Parker said that in his 18 years in the role, he had "never undertaken a project that required so much work in so little time." The architects and construction workers "not only had to move quickly, they had to be careful not to disturb the historic venue's elements." The SCG dates to the mid-19th century and is "one of the world's most revered cricket venues." Parker "didn't want the integrity of the SCG to be compromised -- particularly the pitch." The pitch "compared with the other parts of the ground" is "harder and slightly elevated." Parker said that "leveling the area was impermissible." Cook instead "called for the planting of longer grass." The ground there "remains rock-hard, which could present challenges to the center fielders on both teams." Building the pitcher's mound "was also problematic." Originally, a mound was "constructed using Australian clay," and the firmness was "similar to that of mounds built with American clay." Several other features, "including the backstop, dugouts, and clubhouses, had to be built from scratch." From an "American vantage point, the field has an extraordinary amount of foul territory because of the grounds' oval shape" (L.A. TIMES, 3/19).

UNFRIENDLY CONFINES? In L.A., Steve Dilbeck wrote if MLB "wants this pair of games to actually spur interest and grow the game Down Under, you would think they’d make it as media friendly as possible," instead of "the opposite, which is more like what they’re doing." Unlike "every other regular season game, the media are not allowed in the clubhouses prior to a game in Sydney," nor are they "allowed in after the game." They have "no clubhouse access at all." MLB said that the clubhouses at the Sydney Cricket Ground are "just too small, which seems strange, since they were specially built for this series." News organizations "spending thousands of dollars to cover these two games better hope their readers/views like plenty of color." Dilbeck: "If you want your media representative to be able to privately sidle up to a player in the postgame clubhouse to find out what he really thinks about that play in the eighth, forget it. Insight will be hard to come by." This is "the same way it’s done at the World Baseball Classic, the Olympics and at soccer’s World Cup, which is not the same as daily coverage of a team where relationships can become important" (LATIMES.com, 3/18).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/03/19/Facilities/Sydney-Cricket-Ground.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2014/03/19/Facilities/Sydney-Cricket-Ground.aspx

CLOSE