Communities in Luton and Lancashire are about to get the chance to enjoy cricket all year round, thanks to two brand-new indoor cricket domes announced today by the Government.
The £1.5 million investment, delivered in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), will fund state-of-the-art facilities designed to make sport more accessible in areas where opportunities to play are limited.
Cricket already has a wide reach in England and Wales, with one in three recreational players coming from South Asian backgrounds and a huge rise in women and girls taking up the game – participation jumped by over 20% last year alone. The new domes aim to build on this momentum by breaking down barriers and opening up opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who announced the plans during a visit to Leyland Cricket Club in Lancashire, said:
“Cricket has a remarkable power to inspire and unite communities all over the world and today we are making sure that more people of all backgrounds have the chance to experience the game.
These domes will be places where cricket-lovers and newcomers alike can come together to play, get active, make real-life connections and chase sporting dreams”.
The Luton dome, set to open in early 2026, will give schools and local groups greater access to cricket and could also host other sports like hockey, tennis and badminton – making it a true community hub.
In Lancashire, the dome at Farington (near Preston) is scheduled to open next summer. It will focus strongly on women’s and girls’ cricket, providing a pathway from grassroots to Lancashire’s professional women’s team. It will also serve as a centre for disability cricket in the North West, ensuring even more people can get involved.
Nandy made the announcement alongside England internationals Phil Salt and Sophie Ecclestone, while joining local children taking part in the ECB’s Dynamos cricket programme.
With the Women’s T20 World Cup being hosted in England in less than a year, the new facilities are seen as a vital step in securing a lasting legacy from the tournament. They will help create a clearer route for young people – boys and girls alike – to move from local cricket to the professional stage, inspired by stars like Lauren Bell and Ben Stokes.
This initiative is also part of the Government’s wider ‘Plan for Change’ and ties into its upcoming ‘National Youth Strategy’, which will launch in the autumn. The aim is to ensure every young person has not just access to sport, but also a place to belong and thrive in their community.
ECB chair Richard Thompson said:
“These state-of-the-art all-weather cricket domes will be transformative for the communities they serve, opening up cricket to more people year-round and providing top-class facilities for elite players too. They are an important part of our plans to break down barriers and make cricket the most inclusive team sport.
We are pleased to secure Government support for these incredible community facilities, which we hope will provide a vital proof point of what can be achieved, and look forward to future collaboration. As we have seen in Bradford, centres like these can have a hugely positive impact—bringing people together, opening up opportunities, and inspiring the next generation.
As we look ahead to hosting the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026, building on that success by rolling out more domes in communities across England and Wales will be key to creating a genuine and lasting legacy from the tournament”.
England and Lancashire spinner Sophie Ecclestone said:
“It’s fantastic that more people will get the chance to play cricket thanks to these brilliant domes.
Facilities like these can make a massive difference in local communities and open cricket up to so many more people, and it will be brilliant to see them in action next year”. Photo by Prescott Pym on Flickr, Wikimedia commons.
