T20 World Cup Cricket: Field used to build stadium returned to public use after 19 months

A 19-acre field in the heart of Long Island's largest public park has reopened, more than 19 months after it was fenced off for construction of a 34,000-seat cricket stadium.

The massive field at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, near Parking Field 6A — stretching from the outskirts of the Aquatic Center to near the mini golf course and batting cages — is now accessible to the public, including families, joggers and soccer players who were seen using the space last weekend.

The Eisenhower Park field had been fenced off since at least March 2024, when workers erected a modular stadium to host cricket's T20 World Cup, a 12-day international tournament held that June that attracted spectators and competitors from across the globe.

The stadium, which was disassembled by the end of July 2024, cost T20 Inc., the organization that helped run the tournament, an estimated $30 million, officials said at the time.

Fencing around the cricket field was finally removed last month after 9,000 cubic yards of topsoil was laid down and new grass had grown enough for the area to be accessible to the public, according to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's office.

The Eisenhower space, officials previously said, was also upgraded with a new softball field with backstop and sideline fencing in the southwest portion of the field, along with an area for youth to play recreational and higher-level cricket matches.

However, two other softball fields that were previously located closest to Park Boulevard were not rebuilt. County officials said the new cricket fields impeded on the outfields of the two former softball fields. 

While the fencing was erected in March, the fields have been inaccessible since January 2024, according to Mike Burne, an East Meadow resident who uses the park frequently. He shared drone video from March 6, 2024, showing the Eisenhower Park field already dug up and construction of the stadium far underway.

"This was the biggest waste of money, time and parking spaces," Burne said.

Meanwhile, two fields in the northeast corner of Cantiague Park in Hicksville, used by the cricket competitors for practice during the tournament, will be available for permitted team use by the spring, administration officials said.

The reopening of the Eisenhower Park field comes after Newsday reported in September that Nassau had reached a settlement agreement with the operators of the T20 tournament regarding the restoration of the two sites.

In February, Nassau filed suit, arguing tournament organizers failed to restore Eisenhower and Cantiague parks to their original condition following the global event.

County attorneys said at the time Nassau should receive $2 million held in escrow by a Manhattan law firm as security for the performance of the repair work, because of the alleged breach of contract.

Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle said in September the lawsuit was dropped after the park remediation was competed. The repair work, he said, was fully paid for by T20 and involved no taxpayer dollars.

The use and occupancy permit, included as part of the lawsuit, stated the organizer was "responsible for returning all lands and property used for the presentation of the event to their prior condition."

Nassau County Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said county taxpayers have yet to receive a full accounting of the tournament's costs.

"The Blakeman administration spent months hyping up the cricket tournament, yet legislators were never given basic follow-up information — not a word about whether the county made a profit, or how much was spent on police overtime, [Department of Public Works] costs, and other expenses," DeRiggi-Whitton said. "Taxpayers deserve full transparency to evaluate whether hosting events like this is truly worth the cost to Nassau residents."

In advance of the tournament, Nassau officials said the nine matches played at the Eisenhower Park stadium would generate as much as $160 million in regional economic impact although sports economists said the purported windfall was likely to be smaller.

Blakeman's office did not respond to requests for data from Newsday on the amount of revenue generated by the tournament or its final costs to taxpayers.

A 2023 agreement between the county and T20 imposed no fee for use of county parkland but stipulated T20 pay the county $125,000 per match to reimburse for match-day staffing. T20 was also required to pay the county net parking revenue from fans who drove to the matches.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.