Pleasanton Divided Over Proposed Cricket Pitch

PLEASANTON, CA — The City of Pleasanton is considering creating a cricket pitch in Muirwood Park, and not all residents are on-board.

On Saturday, the Pleasanton Library and Recreation Department hosted a two-hour community meeting devoted to the pitch, which will go before the City council in upcoming months. Many residents expressed fears that the pitch will lead to increased traffic, parking issues, and possible safety issues stemming from hard balls flying around a heavily populated area.

“It’s going to take up a huge amount of space, and safety is a big concern,” opponent Cynthia Shon told the Mercury News. “These balls fly, and they are hard. What keeps them from hitting people?”

Advocates and city staff say that the pitch, which will be made out of synthetic turf and marked with plastic cones, will be large enough so that balls don’t fly out of the street. The proposed pitch will be approximately 63 feet long by 10 feet wide and placed in the middle of the field, according to a city informational website. According to the website, the maximum distance the ball can be hit is 150 feet, which is far from other community park activities.

The pitch would have a radius of 180 feet, and be located 270 feet from the sidewalk.

The website also argues that because games typically last 4-6 hours, it would create less traffic than soccer games currently do. The pitch would also allow for other sports to be played when the field is not reserved for cricket matches.

The Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously recommended the pitch to the City Council in November due to the growing popularity of the sport, particularly with the area’s South Asian residents. In 2015, Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Commissioner founded Cricket for Cubs, which as of May 2021 has more than 300 students. Proponents have argued that a pitch in Pleasanton will mean residents will no longer need to drive to nearby pitches in Dublin and San Ramon.

Pleasanton opened its first cricket pitch in April at Alisal Elementary School. The pitch is designed for youth and is much smaller than the proposed Muirwood Park pitch.