Headingley on the verge of losing international status

A stadium steeped in the history of the game, Headingley in on the verge of losing its place in the list of major cricket grounds in the world. It, however, holds a chance of surviving if Yorkshire and Leeds City Council are able to resolve a funding row.

Having hosted tests since 1899, Headingley remains one of the oldest grounds in the world of cricket today. Nevertheless, since a pending renovation of the ground’s stand at the Football End has been halted due to financial issues, there is a looming threat over Headingley’s international status.

As of date, the stadium is scheduled to host 4 matches during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, but that seems unlikely unless modern requirements are met.

Currently, Yorkshire are sharing the work of remodelling the stadium with Leeds Rhinos rugby club. £17m is the amount Yorkshire need to pay up to make sure its half of the work is carried out smoothly.

Set back by a debt of almost £25m, with most owed to a trust fund set up by ECB chairman Colin Graves, and Steve Denison, the club’s chairman, has disagreed to finance the entire building work through fresh loans. However, they might find a solution by the end of this week as talks continue with the council.

“Discussions are ongoing all the time formally and informally [with the council] to try and find a solution because it is bonkers if the city, county and the club are running the risk of losing international status,” Denison said.

“The Ashes Test at Headingley will happen in 2019 anyway as it is not predicated on anything. But the World Cup games are predicated on us finishing that stand, so if we want to get it done by then we have to be cracking on by the end of this cricket season. That is only a matter of weeks away in construction terms plus there will be a substantial amount of preparatory work that has to be done before bulldozers move in and knock down the existing stand. It is why everybody is working really hard to find a solution,” Denison stated.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison confirmed this week that the London Stadium will be considered a possible alternative to Headingley in case the latter is incapable of hosting its share of four games.

“The council officers get it and quite a lot of the politicians get it as well but they are for whatever reason not in a position where they feel they can give the £4m to Yorkshire,” said Denison. “We sit at the heart of an enormously passionate cricket population and when you add in the five million people in and around Leeds that is a pretty powerful combo,” he said.

If Headingley is indeed stripped off its international status, it will be a huge blow both financially and emotionally, for the club as well as the passionate fans who long to watch a game of cricket in this iconic ground.