Yorkshire County Cricket Club "has drawn up a 20-year masterplan" to redevelop Headingley cricket ground in a project costing around £50M ($84M), according to Chris Waters of the YORKSHIRE EVENING POST. The plan includes "a new state-of-the-art pavilion and a new shared stand with the adjoining rugby ground." Yorkshire feared that it "could lose Test matches and one-day internationals unless they improve their facilities in the face of increasing competition to host international cricket." The club "is guaranteed" internationals until '19 as part of an agreement with the England & Wales Cricket Board when Yorkshire bought the ground in '05, but "there are no guarantees thereafter." Yorkshire Chair Colin Graves said, “As other venues around the country continue to invest in their facilities, we cannot afford to stand still and expect that Headingley will always host international cricket." The project will "see them work in partnership with the council, Leeds Rugby and DLA Architecture" (YORKSHIRE EVENING POST, 6/5). The BBC noted the plans include "rebuilding of the North/South Stand and an increase in ground capacity from 17,000 to 20,000." If given the go-ahead, the proposals "will also see the installation of floodlights, extra seating in the upper tier of the North East Stand and the development of a new five-storey pavilion" (BBC, 6/5).
