The sport of cricket is coming to the Oakland Coliseum in June.
Major League Cricket announced Wednesday that its season will kick off at the Coliseum on June 12 with the first of nine matches across seven days through June 18.
Major League Cricket is starting its third season in the U.S. and has six teams playing the sport, which is the second-largest in the world behind soccer but not as popular stateside as overseas.
The San Francisco Unicorns, one of three West Coast teams in the league along with ones in Los Angeles and Seattle, will be calling the Oakland Coliseum home. After the series of matches between June 12-18 that will include all six teams in the league, other matches during the season will be played in Texas and Florida.
Unicorns co-owner Venky Harinarayan said in a statement, “The passion for cricket in the Bay Area is undeniable, and we are thrilled to have a home that can accommodate and inspire our growing fanbase. We look forward to an incredible season ahead.”
Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan’s office said the Coliseum will see changes to accommodate professional cricket matches, including the installation of specialized turf wickets.
The announcement comes after the Oakland Roots, a professional soccer team in the United Soccer League, held its home opener match last weekend at the Coliseum, which has seen the Oakland Raiders football team and Oakland Athletics baseball team both depart to other cities in recent years.
“Bringing more of this kind of activity to the Coliseum brings the community together, and also creates jobs, and improves revenue to fund vital public services,” Kaplan said in a statement. “Our region has the largest proportion of cricket fans in America, and the most passionate!”
More information about the league and upcoming matches can be found at the Major League Cricket website.
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