Construction has started in LaGrange, Ga., on a 10,500-seat professional cricket stadium, set to host international matches, concerts and community events, with the additional aim of boosting tourism and local business in the city.
Hundreds gathered Nov. 6, 2025, at the Troup County site for the official groundbreaking ceremony of the upcoming LaGrange Cricket Grounds. It will be the first privately-owned cricket stadium in the United States when work on it is completed in 2027.
The new stadium will be built on 45 acres along Tom Hall Parkway, just off Interstate 85, approximately 60 mi. southwest of Atlanta.
Although LaGrange may seem an unlikely locale for a cricket stadium, the project's organizers noted that area's mild, year-round climate and proximity to the Atlanta airport made it an ideal location for venue.
While many in the United States and the Southeast are not familiar with cricket, it is the second most popular sport in the world (behind soccer) with 2.5 billion fans globally and a growing fanbase stateside. Cricket is played in more than 100 countries, from India to the United Kingdom, from the Caribbean to Australia — and soon in LaGrange.
Selig Enterprises, an Atlanta-based real estate firm, is the project's developer. As of Nov. 14, the stadium's building contractor had not yet been announced. It was designed by TVS, an Atlanta architectural studio.
The new cricket stadium is being constructed with private investment, meaning no taxpayer funds or tax abatements are being used to build the project.
Plans call for the possibility of one day expanding the multi-use venue's seating capacity to 25,000 seats, the LaGrange Daily News reported. The new structure is expected to host a diverse range of events, including sports, concerts, festivals and more. It also is big enough for a FIFA-sized soccer pitch, so cricket will most likely not be the only sport played there.
"This isn't just about cricket," said LaGrange Cricket Grounds CEO Kaval Patel. "This is an ecosystem that we're creating: a world-class stadium designed for international competition, a boutique hotel for players, visitors and event guests; a vibrant sports bar where fans gather to cheer, eat and celebrate; and retail, recreation and community events all orbiting around the beating heart of this venue. This is cricket and so much more, with matches that will bring in thousands."
In addition, its planners expect the stadium will play host to youth academies, college competitions and Olympic hopefuls as the site becomes a gateway to a global sport, and LaGrange becomes a name recognized far beyond Georgia.
On its website, LaGrange Cricket Grounds noted the finer points of the new stadium:
• It will be cricket-first and broadcast-ready as well as built with an International Cricket Council-compliant oval, a professional wicket block, elite sight lines and fiber pathways for live production.
• For soccer matches, it will offer a FIFA-regulated field and have additional courts and nets.
• A concert-caliber infrastructure with truck and bus friendly compounds, rigging points, shore power and tie-ins and protected field plans.
• Parking and loading docks.
• Covered seating pods, accessible routes and seating, family zones and premium boxes to enhance the spectator experience. In addition, its concourse will offer regional food concepts; clear wayfinding and guest services also are planned.
• Its developers promise VIP suites offering premium seating and catering — perfect for corporate events or special occasions.
• The stadium's bowl has been designed with a modern amphitheater geometry for optimum sightlines, acoustics and atmosphere.
LaGrange Officials Hope Cricket Takes Hold in Region
For many in the area, including city officials, why professional cricket would want to locate in LaGrange was surprising, but those unfamiliar are starting to come around, according to the Daily News.
"If you had asked me [at any time in the past] what I envisioned for this piece of land, it would have never been a cricket stadium," LaGrange Mayor Jim Arrington said at the groundbreaking. "But we are so fortunate here in LaGrange to have something like this."
He added, "I don't believe we really understand the impact that this is going to have in LaGrange and Troup County, with the jobs that it's going to create, the tourists that're going to be here, the hotels that it's going to bring and the retail and restaurants. This is really going to be a great thing for our community."
Kathy Tilley, president of Visit LaGrange, the city's tourism organization, said that for her, the cricket stadium coming to town is akin to Christmas arriving early.
"Sports tourism brings energy, pride and real economic benefit to our little city," Tilley said. "That's why today's groundbreaking is such a tremendous moment. This new cricket and multi-sport stadium will position LaGrange on the regional, national and international stage."
LaGrange Development Authority President Scott Malone reiterated the fact that LaGrange is a tourism destination, which brings more money to the city and county.
"We have 3.5 million visitors a year to come to West Point Lake, we have Callaway Gardens, we have the Biblical Antiquities Center," he said. "Great Wolf Lodge has 30,000 to 40,000 visitors a month. Tourism is the lifeblood of our community."
