MCCA - Need for Cricket Fields in Upper Montgomery County, Maryland, USA

Dear Cricket Lovers,

Action: Petition to procure more cricket-only fields in the upper Montgomery County, Maryland.

I would like to start by introducing myself. My name is Manish Lodaya and I am the president of the following non-profit organizations registered in the state of Maryland.

Montgomery County Cricket Association, Inc. [MCCA] [TIN: 45-4448725], Boyds Cricket Club, Inc. [BCC]  [TIN: 030555232], Urbana Cricket Club, Inc. [UCC] [TIN: 27-0359537]

Since starting the above organizations and working with ‘Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission’ [MNCPPC], I and my team have been instrumental in securing the following fields which has taken years of lobbying and efforts [starting in 2002], including but not limited to meetings and providing testimonials with MNCPPC.

1.     2006 - ‘Damascus Regional Park’. Our first field which was shared with the Damascus Soccer League. The pitch was located in between two soccer fields. We could use the field for 6 weeks from July 1^st to August 15^th. The construction, building and maintenance of the pitch was provided by and financed generously by our sponsors. We eventually stopped playing at this field as it became cost-prohibitive to maintain the pitch to be able to play for 6 weeks only.

2.     2010 – ‘Clarksburg Village North Local Park’. This was a temporary location secured by us with agreement between MNCPPC and Montgomery County Public Schools [MCPS]. This location had already been earmarked as an elementary school location site. But given that the construction of the school was not scheduled for until 2013, we were granted construction permits to build our first cricket-only field in Upper Montgomery County, Maryland. The construction, building and maintenance of the pitch was provided by and financed generously by our sponsors. We eventually lost the field this year [2013] owing to the scheduled school construction.

3.     2012 – ‘South Germantown Recreational Park’ [Soccerplex]. This turned out to be our second cricket-only field in Upper Montgomery County, Maryland, and is the most prominent field in our area and known to folks amongst you. This field was constructed by MNCPPC with the cricket turf being provided by and financed generously by our sponsors. This is the only cricket-only field we have in our area as of this time.

The above timeline highlights the growth of the game in our area. Some interesting facts:

1.     The fields have been used by our league, Washington Cricket League [WCL] one of the premier leagues in the country [whose players play in the USA men’s national cricket team], WMCL, MCPL, Germantown Cricket Club, and others.

2.     Also for those of you who might not know, Montgomery College won the first American inter-college cricket championship to be held in the USA played in Florida, March 2009. This tournament is now a regular annual event with the number of colleges and universities participating increasing, and coming from all over the country. The tournament is also now proudly sponsored by Coca-Cola.

3.     Adil Bhatti, captain of Boyds Cricket Club, is also a member of the USA men’s national team representing the country on many occasions for the past couple of years.

4.     There is also a lot of youth cricket starting up and coaching camps being offered in our area. MCCA offers one with the Clarksburg Sports Association [CSA]. Germantown Kids Cricket Club along with USYCA has also approached us with a request for cricket fields for their growing membership.

This has all been possible with the unending support and cooperation of MNCPPC, CUPF, MCPS and my team mates. This calls for us to have more than just the one field at the Soccerplex, for which we now have a lot of growing requirement. I have been contacted by the county to reach out to the community. We hope to get your support through this petition and make cricket playing a reality for all in our area.

Thank you,

Manish Lodaya