The U.S. national team upset the heavily favored Pakistani team, and the eagerly awaited, 34,000-seat Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow, New York, was in its third day of play. Thursday, June 6, may go down as the most significant day in the history of U.S. cricket. Thanks to the confidence between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and its partners, notably Populous for the architectural design and PMY Group for the technology planning, the new venue, which will host eight Group Stage matches in the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, was built in less than six months.
“It’s the first time we’ve helped bring a 34,000-seat venue to life in just five months,” says Logan Meier, VP/executive GM, USA, PMY Group. From a technology standpoint, we were able to go from having nothing at all to assembling components that normally take years to create and implement, but it needed a tiny army of businesses to make it all work. This project was not like any other I have ever worked on.
ICC Jumps Aboard: PMY Group, Populous Takes Over the Project
Nassau County International Cricket Stadium’s actual construction didn’t start until February 2024, despite the ICC’s November 2021 declaration that the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup will take place in the United States and the West Indies. The foundation hired Populous, a company that specializes in permanent sports stadiums both domestically and internationally, to design the temporary facility on Long Island.
Populous used their longtime partnership with the ICC to finish the site before the June 3 opening game between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Several top-notch cricket stadiums have been built as a result of this collaboration, including the redevelopment of Australia’s famed Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, which hosted the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Final, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, which served as a host venue for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“Everyone involved with this stadium has placed the highest priority on working closely with the ICC and T20 USA,” says Jeff Keas, senior partner of Populous. “The world-class standard that the ICC has set for its competitors and fans greatly inspired and affected our design. We knew it had to be something exceptional because of the kind of talent that would be performing on the premises. As a result, cricket players and spectators in the US and abroad may take part in some of the greatest and most desired rivalries in the sport.
It was vital to build the temporary giant, but it was even more critical to provide it with the operations required to accommodate and amuse large crowds. In order to best integrate that aspect, the ICC and one of its most valued partners, The Parker Company, which is in charge of equipment procurement and project management, contracted with another company to handle the overall tech roadmapping. PMY Group is a full-service, multifaceted technology solutions company with experience in the sports and entertainment industry through subsidiaries like the technology design firm WJHW and participation in high-profile sporting events like the Australian Open in tennis and the Open Championship in golf. When the business was hired, PMY Group had stayed in contact with Populous and had productive discussions with members on the project, which was focused on the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup.
“We emphasized that we could manage all of the venue’s technology, physically deploy resources on site, and plan risk management and contract negotiations,” Meier recalls. “We were able to share our experience, and we were more than willing to take over that role when [the ICC and The Parker Company] mentioned that they lacked a leader for their technological efforts.”
Top-Tier Commitment: The Plan Involves High-Quality Technology and Infrastructure
The idea of constructing a temporary venue for a significant sporting event or competition is not new. Built and inaugurated in 2011 ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the Basketball Arena at London’s Olympic Park was dismantled in January 2013, more than ten years ago. The endeavor was replicated less than two years earlier during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar: Stadium 974, located in the Ras Abu Aboud area of Doha, was transformed into the first temporary venue in the 94-year history of the competition by erecting detachable shipping containers as its façade. The primary distinction for the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup is that the stadium was constructed entirely under very strict time constraints. But Populous’s experience was too much for the difficult assignment.
“Our team at Populous has been designing modular stadiums and venues for decades — including numerous temporary stadiums and event spaces for the Olympic Games and MLB,” says Keas, adding that the installation of a temporary, modular stadium was a first for cricket in the globe. We also understood that the team put together to build this stadium was unmatched, with each member collaborating closely with the others to make sure the project was a success. The stadium was built with the help of several organizations, including the Parker Company, Arena Group (for temporary hospitality), Alchemy (for construction management), Landtek Group (for expanding the playing field), ME Engineers (for multifunctional engineering), PMY Group, and many more.
Populous had to provide information on the location of each physical component of the puzzle right away. This required purchasing furnishings for opulent suites and grandstands that could accommodate tens of thousands of ardent cricket fans. Grandstands from the first Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix were among the several that were repurposed from previous significant sporting events.
“On this project, sustainability was crucial,” Keas continues. All components will be returned and used for next athletic events, such as Formula 1, the Olympic Games, and golf competitions, when the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup is over.
On the technical side, Meir depended on the expertise of his core team, which included Senior Project Manager Ray Herschell, Director, Advisory and Operations, USA, John Niovich, and VP, Technology Delivery, MENA, Dan Molloy, as well as the products of multiple vendors: GoVision for LED displays, API Media for extensive video distribution, Unified Command for security, Maryland Sound International for in-venue audio, and Safari Solutions for input on tech implementation.
PMY Group deployed a number of backstage elements within the venue to guarantee a seamless production and a secure environment. These include more than 60 switches and 150 wireless access points for event network connectivity; two 60-by-26-foot videoboards with 6-mm pixel pitch; more than 100 IPTV displays; 10 line-array speaker stacks on the ground and in the air; additional small-format audio in premium spaces; wireless frequency management; integration and supervision of game management, scoring, and ticket scanning; more than 300 two-way radios for real-time communication among event staff; VoIP and end-user equipment; and video surveillance with over 50 cameras and an emergency management and monitoring system on-site.
Some of these services and solutions, such security and safety precautions, were essential to guaranteeing that fans attending would have a good time. Others, such as greater areas for interaction and more expensive tech additions, weren’t as important but would provide the audience in the arena a more memorable experience. In summary, spectators were still expecting a first-rate experience even if the venue would only be open for eight games over ten days.
According to Meier, “they expect to walk into the venue and take in a first-class event,” therefore we proposed areas where the ICC should highlight additional value in addition to specifying a [baseline] suite of technologies. We were able to give them a solution by using a large portion of the tools and equipment we had on hand.
Populous was unfazed by the structure’s transient status when they started the project. “As with any venue, we adopted the same strategy from an operational, experiential, and revenue-generation standpoint,” says Keas. Our team at Populous used the market research that T20 USA supplied on general and premium seats as the foundation for a design that offered a variety of viewing experiences.
Logistical Difficulties: Bad Weather and Other Duties of Partners
Both PMY Group and Populous encounter difficulties because of the project’s complexity and vast reach. Because the venue is situated in Eisenhower Park, Populous had to carefully design for a public space that is prone to bad weather at the end of winter. For instance, the onsite team had to contend with 27 days of rain or snow.
Maryland Sound International provided additional small-format audio in high-end venues together with ten line-array speaker stacks mounted on the ground and in the air.
“The biggest challenge that the entire team faced and conquered was the timeline to build a world-class stadium,” adds Keas. There was a clear start date for the matches, and there was a fairly tight schedule for the design, building, and execution. The crews managed to produce something quite amazing despite the region experiencing above-normal levels of snow and rain. Regardless of the circumstances, the project never fell behind schedule, which is a fantastic credit to the diligence of all the teams.
In addition to Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, PMY Group played the similar job in Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida. Following the completion of the Long Island-based arena, PMY Group’s next task was to implement the concept at the other two stadiums, which have been open and functioning for almost 20 years.
“We gave the ICC [in case] they wanted another company to use these guidelines [in Florida and Texas] after outlining the tech plan and requirements [for the stadium in East Meadow] in 30 days,” Meier recalls, adding that they wanted us to assist other venues as well. We drew in resources from across the United States to assist in managing these two facilities after sitting down to determine what was absolutely necessary to satisfy these requirements.
Amazing Construction in Less Time: Preparation and Cooperation Are Essential
Meier and his coworkers at PMY Group can now look back on the outcome of their laborious planning and brainstorming. Aside from the possibility of having more time to refine the strategy, there are two clear lessons learned: rely on the partners who are working with you and concentrate on the positives that can be replicated.
Meier continues, “really lean into those groups when you have great partners to rely on.” Additionally, determine what you don’t want to skimp on if a similar task needs to be done in the future.
The partners’ unwavering will to finish a facility of this size will endure in its impact on the industry, even if the arena won’t be visible in Eisenhower Park until well after Wednesday’s matinee between the United States and India. The structure, which hosts the second-most-watched sport in the world, may be seen as a symbol of cricket’s gradual rise in popularity in the United States. For the time being, its legacy could serve as a model for both big and small-scale sporting events.
Keas observes that although cricket is one of the most well-liked and well-known sports in the world, with a devoted following and fierce rivalries, it is still not well-known in the United States. A new generation of fans and viewers is brought to our shores by the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, which offers unmatched visibility. The world-class field in Nassau County will stay intact for the community to use and enjoy, even if the temporary and modular components will be removed and repurposed. We and all of our partners are really happy that local cricket teams and players will be able to play on the same field as the best in the world.
