The Oakland Coliseum, the former home of Major League Baseball’s Athletics, will host nine matches during the 2025 Major League Cricket season.
The games will mark MLC’s first visit to the west coast of the US. The league has projected that the games will deliver a $3m (£2.3m/€2.8m) direct economic boost to Oakland.
The Coliseum will host seven game days and nine matches, starting on June 12 and continuing until June 18. The stadium will be adapted to accommodate professional cricket matches, with specialised drop-in turf wickets to be installed to meet international standards.
After the games in Oakland, the season will move to Grand Prairie, Texas from June 20-29 before heading to Broward County Stadium in Florida from July 1-6. A total of 34 matches will be held across the season.
Johnny Grave, chief executive of MLC, said: “The Coliseum is a fantastic location for Major League Cricket, and we are thrilled by the prospect of some of the world’s biggest cricket stars playing in such an iconic Californian venue.
“Coming to the west coast, and being here in Oakland, is an historic move for cricket globally. It reinforces our commitment to growing the game in the United States and providing fans with an exceptional cricket experience.”
Kevin Jenkins, Interim Mayor of the City of Oakland, added: “The Oakland Coliseum has long been a destination for sports and entertainment, and we are excited to add cricket to its continuing legacy. This move underscores Oakland’s status as a diverse and dynamic sports city, and we look forward to supporting the growth of cricket in our community.”
Last year marked the Coliseum’s final season as the home of the A’s, with the team set to move to a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028. The A’s will spend three seasons in Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas.
The Coliseum also hosted the NFL’s Raiders until 2019, when the team moved to Las Vegas.
Following the departure of the A’s, USL Championship soccer club Oakland Roots agreed a deal to play at the Coliseum from 2025. It marks the team’s return to the city following a three-year absence.
In October, the City of Oakland reached an amended agreement with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) to speed up the process for development work at the Coliseum.
AASEG is planning on carrying out a major renovation of the Coliseum site, which also includes the Oakland Arena. The group is set to develop thousands of new units of affordable housing and increased outdoor space, while preserving the Oakland Arena.
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