City of Ottawa planning to create up to 6 new cricket pitches

The city of Ottawa is planning to build up to six new cricket pitches, but residents are pushing back against one of the locations.

The City of Ottawa is planning to create up to six new cricket pitches to meet growing demand for the sport in the capital.

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said there are not enough cricket pitches in Ottawa to support the growing community, which is why the city is planning to create four new pitches for competitive play and one new pitch for recreational play. A sixth pitch is also under consideration.

“We’re not talking about one cricket pitch here, we’re talking about a dramatic increase in spaces for cricket, recreational and competitive, right across our city,” Sutcliffe said.

The competitive pitches will be created at Francois Dupuis District Park, Beryl Gaffney Park, Riverside South North District Park and Millennium Park. The recreational pitch will be created at Bradley Craig Park.

Sutcliffe says city staff are also looking at options to create a pitch at Fernbank District Park.

Construction for the Millennium Park Pitch is expected to begin late this year or early next, and the pitch is anticipated to be open in Summer 2028. At Francois Dupuis District Park, construction may begin as early as this fall and is expected to take one-and-a-half to two years.

No dates were announced for the other pitches.

Sutcliffe said he did have an estimate for the total cost of the projects, and some of the costs still need to be determined. However, the projects would be paid for overtime and not only from the 2026 budget.

“What I will say is, it’s a worthwhile investment,” Sutcliffe said. “This is investing in the community. It’s investing in our economy. It’s investing in kids who want to play the sport. Its investing in health and recreation. So, it’s a very good investment.”

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Beryl Gaffney Park

The pitch at Beryl Gaffney Park has faced opposition from nearby residents who have been using the site as an off-leash dog park.

Debbie Prescott, who lives near Beryl Gaffney Park, says she agrees that the city needs more cricket pitches, but takes issue with the location of the planned pitch.

“Even when it’s not in use with the cricket pitch, it becomes limiting. We won’t be able to access the back of the field. We won’t be able to access other trails that extend off of this field,” Prescott says “People are very angry.”

Karen Doughan, who also lives close to the park, says nearby residents haven’t been adequately informed of the planned changes.

“There are people here who have no idea that there’s going to be a cricket pitch built here because there’s no signs and no one was told,” Doughan said.

Sutcliffe says the pitch — which will be a full-sized cricket pitch — will only take up three of 100 acres.

“There’s room for everybody to enjoy that space even while there’s a cricket match going on,” Sutcliffe said. “I’m very much in favour of creating great spaces for the community for recreation, for people to walk around and enjoy nature and we’re going to continue doing that.”

Gauruv Arora, president of the Ottawa Valley Cricket Association, says the pitch at Beryl Gaffney will be the city’s first pitch solely dedicated to cricket. Arora also says the fees cricket players pay to use the pitch will generate revenue for the city.

“This field will generate at least 10 to 15 thousand dollars every year,” he said. “So, the city can use that money somewhere else.”

Sutcliffe says the city is investing nearly $1 million for improvements at Beryl Gaffney Park.

The city is accepting public feedback on the Beryl Gaffney Park cricket pitch until March 11.

Ottawa sports facilities

According to the City of Ottawa, sports facilities include:

• 384 rectangular grass sport fields (soccer, football, and rugby)
• 315 outdoor tennis courts
• 282 outdoor rinks
• 258 ball diamonds
• 186 outdoor basketball courts
• 146 splash pads
• 21 outdoor skateboard parks
• 9 outdoor pools
• 5 artificial turf fields
• 5 cricket pitches
• 5 BMX pump tracks
• 4 lawn bowling greens

With files from CTV’s Leah Larocque and Kimberley Fowler.