West Park partnership to inspire future generations of cricketers in Notts
Last updated: 16/10/2025
West Park in West Bridgford is set to be a new home for sparking the growth of future generations of cricketers in conjunction with Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club (NCCC).
The club has approached the council to explore greater use of the venue on Loughborough Road and is now set to receive a long-term 25-year lease to host women’s cricket matches and a wider range of cricket opportunities to the community at all levels.
This will be whilst still retaining West Bridgford Legion Cricket Club as an important community partner at the site.
It currently offers modern community facilities including the recently refurbished Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion, a ten-wicket grass pitch with single artificial wicket and launched earlier this year, a five-lane fully enclosed non-turf practice area.
The new West Park Cricket Hub would see the facilities leased to NCCC to take responsibility for cricket bookings and enable a shared vision to grow the game even further from grass roots to elite level.
Growing the women’s game is cricket’s biggest growth opportunity, as has been shown through the increasing numbers of women and girls playing recreationally and the emerging profile of the elite women’s game.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) aims to do this through participation and facilities investment and NCCC has supported this plan through its own five-year strategy. The West Park partnership would ensure alignment with both strategies and the Council’s own objectives.
The Hub would also provide much needed improved cricket facilities for:
- West Bridgford Legion as the partner cricket club
- women’s and girls’- pathway up to academy level
- boys’ pathway to under 16s
- cricket programmes run by NCCC’s Community and Development Team
- All Stars cricket for 5–8-year-old boys and girls and Dynamos cricket for 8–11-year-old boys and girls
- Super 1s disability cricket for 12–28-year-olds
- Ace - A programme aimed at African-Caribbean engagement in cricket
- LGBTQ+ team to use West Park as a home base
RBC’s Cabinet and NCCC’s General Committee discussed the approach at meetings this week.
Leader of the Council Cllr Neil Clarke said: “Rushcliffe is the home of great sport in Nottinghamshire and we’re pleased this partnership with NCCC highlights a strategic growth opportunity that aligns perfectly with our Leisure and Playing Pitch strategies and recently adopted draft Sport and Tourism Charter.
“It also aligns with building on the strong and positive relationship through continued collaboration with major sporting partners and strengthening our collective reputation as a prime destination for sport nationally.
“The Council’s refreshed Rushcliffe Leisure Strategy until 2027 outlines several key priorities aimed at enhancing leisure provision across the Borough, with a strong focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and community wellbeing.
“Growing the women’s game is a significant focus for the partners here and we want to do all we can to increase the opportunity for the numbers of women, girls and all cricketers to play recreationally.”
West Park is a historic cricket venue founded by cricket philanthropist Sir Julien Cahn in 1925/26, hosting notable matches XI against touring teams such as the West Indies and South Americans and the venue’s newly refurbished pavilion is named after him. It also hosted first class fixtures in 1935 and regional women’s cricket during this period.
“West Park has a long and celebrated history in cricket and we are delighted to be working with Rushcliffe Borough Council to unlock the potential of the site,” said Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Interim Chief Executive Michael Temple.
“Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club has grown to become so much more than a men’s professional team, and we will host training and matches on West Park to nurture the next generation of professional and recreational cricketers. Within the term of this lease, I am certain that we will see aspiring young cricketers make the step from West Park to Trent Bridge.
“Along with our training base at Lady Bay, West Park will become a key part of our club’s estate of cricket facilities and will enable us to re-affirm our commitment to Rushcliffe by providing a cricket club and a suite of community initiatives for the borough to be proud of.”
The proposed arrangement would also see NCCC take over the management of the grass cricket wicket. They will provide professional guidance to volunteer led West Bridgford Legion Cricket Club to help improve the overall quality of the wicket to facilitate more fixtures to a higher standard than can be achieved currently.
The site’s West Park Pavilion would also continue to be used by a range of community groups including Positive Futures, Forget Me Notts and other groups.
The pavilion, car park, tennis courts, public access toilets, MUGA and junior play area and facilities office will remain the responsibility of RBC under the new agreement.