23.07.2021,12:07
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Cricket Pitch to be Built in Barcelona, Thanks to Women’s Group
The sound of a leather ball striking willow is not often heard in Spain. However, that could change in 2022, when a cricket ground is built in Barcelona, thanks to an initiative that was made possible due to the popularity of a women’s team.
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City Hall Asked Citizens to Suggest an Initiative
p>Inhabitants of Barcelona were asked by the City Hall in June to suggest an initiative that would be part of a package aimed at improving public spaces with an investment package of €30 million ($35 million). As many as 184 proposals were received and the plan to build a cricket pitch costing €1.2 million ($1.4 million) got the highest number of votes. Lights, storage rooms and changing rooms, along with other cricket-related amenities, will be included in the project, in addition to the pitch.LocaLocal Media Helped Cricket Win in Football Territory
ong>Cricket won in a country where football rules the roost and cricket is relatively unknown, thanks largely to a young women’s group mainly consisting of first-generation citizens of Spain, many of them Pakistani and Indian immigrants residing in Barcelona’s working-class suburbs. Local media helped the word-of-mouth campaign by the group of women to gain traction.
Local Local Cricketers are Delighted
g>Nadia Mustafa, an 18-year-old cricketer who attends university, is delighted: “It’s a dream come true to have won the vote after all the effort we put in. We spent weeks encouraging people to vote for our project so we could win. And in the end, we were able to get the first cricket field in Barcelona for us to play and train.”
Local Cricketers are Delighted
g>Nadia Mustafa, an 18-year-old cricketer who attends university, is delighted: “It’s a dream come true to have won the vote after all the effort we put in. We spent weeks encouraging people to vote for our project so we could win. And in the end, we were able to get the first cricket field in Barcelona for us to play and train.”Grocery store owner, Shahbaz Shauqad, who is the team coach had this to say: “We are happy. Soon, in a year or a year and a half, we will have our own field here in Barcelona. We won’t have to think of getting cars and means of transportation to play elsewhere. We will have our field here.”