Rendering of the future Roland G. Parrish Park in DallasNational Cricket League
The National Cricket League will have a "temporary home" in vacant land in southern Dallas for its inaugural tournament next spring, "a move that city leaders say will provide an economic boom for a predominantly Black and Hispanic area that’s historically faced disinvestment," according to Leah Waters of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold was a "key figure in courting the National Cricket League to her district.” Arnold at a press conference Friday said that she hopes the "attention that comes with the sport is a catalyst for prosperity in the region near the newly named Roland G. Parrish Park." NCL Chair, adviser and part owner Arun Agarwal, who also serves as the chair for Dallas’ parks and recreation board, said that he has “always had equity in mind when deciding on a southern Dallas spot for a globally popular sport like cricket." Dallas Parks & Recreation Department Assistant Dir Ryan O’Connor said that the NCL will contribute about $1M in "private funds to ready the land for a temporary, 3.5-acre circular cricket field ahead of a 10-day tournament planned for the spring." Agarwal said it is "too soon to tell" whether the league’s footprint in the southern Dallas community will be "more permanent following next season’s tournament" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/18).
