Central Broward Park facts for kids
| The CBRSP | |
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| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 3700 NW 11th Place Lauderhill, Florida 33311 |
| Establishment | 9 November 2007 |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Owner | Broward County, Florida |
| Architect | H.J. Russell Seawood Builders |
| Operator | Broward County Parks and Recreation Division |
| Tenants | Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids (USAFL) (2008–present) South Florida Elite Futbol Club (USYS) (2008–present) Floridians FC (PDL) (2010–present) Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) (2016) Paris Saint-Germain Academy USA |
| End names | |
| North End Pavilion End |
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| International information | |
| First ODI | 13 September 2019: United States v  Papua New Guinea |
| Last ODI | 23 September 2019: Namibia v Papua New Guinea |
| First T20I | 22 May 2010: New Zealand v  Sri Lanka |
| Last T20I | 4 August 2019: West Indies v  India |
| First WT20I | 17 May 2020: United States v  Canada |
| Last WT20I | 19 May 2020: United States v Canada |
| As of 2 September 2020 Source: Cricinfo CricketArchive |
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Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium is a big park in Lauderhill, Florida. It's special because it's the only stadium in the United States built specifically for cricket! It used to be called Central Broward Regional Park.
This park opened on November 9, 2007, and cost about $70 million to build. It's owned and run by Broward County. You can find it where US 441 and State Road 838 (Sunrise Blvd.) meet.
The stadium was the first cricket field in the U.S. to be approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC). This means it can host major international cricket games! It hosted its first international Twenty20 (T20) series in 2010, with teams from New Zealand and Sri Lanka playing. In September 2019, the stadium also hosted the first-ever One Day International (ODI) series in the United States. During this series, the U.S. team even won its first ODI match!
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The Main Event Field: A Hub for Sports
The main field at the park is designed especially for cricket. It's a huge circular grass area, about 167 yards (153 meters) wide. Around the field, there's a stadium with 5,000 seats. Plus, there are grassy hills (called berms) where 15,000 more people can sit and watch. The field also has bright lights for night games and a fancy viewing area.
Cricket Matches and Milestones
The very first cricket event here was the Martin Luther King Twenty20 Cricket Tournament in January 2008. It featured local players from India, Pakistan, and the West Indies.
The first international cricket tournament was the MAQ T20 International Cricket Tournament in May 2008. Teams from Canada, Pakistan, the West Indies, and a "Rest of the World" team played. Famous cricket players like Javed Miandad and Richie Richardson were part of it.
The park also hosted the first full international cricket matches on American soil. This was a two-match T20 series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in May 2010. The series ended in a tie, 1-1. Even though the scores were low, many fans came to watch and supported the teams.
In 2012, New Zealand and the West Indies played two T20 International games here. The West Indies team won both matches. In 2016, the Caribbean Premier League, a professional T20 league, also played some of its matches at the park.
A big moment happened in August 2016 when India and the West Indies played two T20 matches. This was India's first international cricket game in the U.S. Anil Kumble, India's coach, was very impressed with the park. He said he didn't expect the facilities to be so good in the United States.
In one of these matches, India's Lokesh Rahul scored a super-fast T20 International century (100 runs) in just 46 balls! He ended up with 110 runs, which is the highest score by a player at this venue. The West Indies also scored 245 runs, and India scored 244, making it a very exciting, high-scoring game. The West Indies won by just one run!
In August 2018, the West Indies and Bangladesh played two T20 International matches here. In August 2019, India returned to play two more T20 International matches against the West Indies. India won both games.
In September 2019, the park hosted the 2019 United States Tri-Nation Series. This was a big deal because it was the first time One Day International (ODI) matches were held in the United States. The U.S. team also got its first-ever ODI win during this series!
Cricket Records at the Park
Some amazing batting performances have happened at Central Broward Park.
- In One Day International (ODI) matches, Jean-Pierre Kotze from Namibia scored 136 runs against the USA in 2019.
- In Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, Evin Lewis from the West Indies scored 100 runs in 49 balls against India in 2016.
- Also in 2016, Lokesh Rahul from India scored 110 runs (not out) in 51 balls against the West Indies. This was one of the fastest T20I centuries ever!
The park has also seen impressive bowling.
- In 2019, Zhivago Groenewald from Namibia took 5 wickets for only 20 runs against the United States in an ODI match. This is called a "five-wicket haul" and is a great achievement for a bowler.
Other Sports Played Here
The Main Event Field isn't just for cricket! It has hosted other sports too:
- Soccer: The Floridians FC, a soccer team, started playing here in 2015. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers also played their home games here in 2016.
- Australian Rules Football: The Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids played here in 2008. In 2015, the park hosted the 49th Parallel Cup, an annual match between the U.S. and Canada in Australian Rules Football.
- Rugby: In 2009, the United States national rugby union team played a big game here against Uruguay. The U.S. won, which helped them qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand!
The mayor of Lauderhill has even talked about making the stadium a multi-sport facility in the future.
Other Cool Things at the Park
Besides the main stadium, Central Broward Park has lots of other great features:
- Practice Fields: There are two large artificial-turf practice fields. These can be used for four American football or soccer games, or two cricket matches.
- Fun for Everyone: The park also has playgrounds, a 1.5-mile walking trail, and courts for basketball, netball, and tennis.
- Water Park: A water park called Tropical Splash opened here in March 2008, perfect for cooling off!
The park is also home to the MLS Combine, where future stars of Major League Soccer show off their skills.
Images for kids
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Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium
