Lancashire Cricket performance center to develop talent pathway

Article posted by Coliseum, August 14^th, 2026

Image: Lancashire Cricket

The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG – one of India’s fastest growing conglomerates with a significant global presence) and Lancashire Cricket recently confirmed a multi-million-pound acquisition of the land directly behind the latter’s home – the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground in England (UK) – paving the way to redevelop a state-of-the-art, high-performance cricket center which will leave a lasting legacy for cricket in the region and develop the talent pathway.

Best Cricket Infrastructure

‘cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk’ stated that the above development forms part of RPSG and Lancashire Cricket’s long-term strategy to build the best cricket infrastructure in the United Kingdom at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground alongside the AO Farington Cricket Ground to ensure all the ‘Red Rose’ teams are as well-equipped as possible for success on the field.

The Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic County of Lancashire (UK) in English cricket. The club has held first-class status since it was founded in 1864.

The 19,000-seat Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK). It opened in 1857 and has been the home of the Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864.

The 5,000-capacity Farington Cricket Ground, known as the AO Farington Cricket Ground for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket ground in Farington, Lancashire, England (UK). It opened in 2026 as a second base for the Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Indoor Center

‘cricket.lancashirecricket.co.uk’ stated that as part of the project the club’s existing indoor center will be transformed into a significantly upgraded facility which will feature the indoor nets, a gym, the outdoor training areas, Sports Science, and the medical facilities.

Elite Training Facilities

Both the RPSG and Lancashire Cricket will benefit from all the elite training facilities including all of Lancashire Cricket’s professional, academy and age-group teams as well as across RPSG’s cricket teams including the Manchester Super Giants (a professional 100-ball cricket franchise team based in Manchester, England), the Durban’s Super Giants (a professional South African Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Durban) and the Lucknow Super Giants (a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh [India] that competes in the Indian Premier League [IPL]), and by the international and touring sides playing at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Lasting Legacy

Stated Dr. Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman, RPSG Group, “Cricket is at the heart of RPSG Group’s sporting investments and this partnership reflects our long-term commitment to the game. Lancashire Cricket shares our ambition to build facilities that give the players every opportunity to succeed and we are proud to be investing alongside them in a project that will benefit the club, the Super Giants family and the wider game for years to come. This is about leaving a lasting legacy for cricket in this region – a facility that will shape the development of the players for generations to come.”

Talent Pathway

Added Dame Sarah Storey, Chair, Lancashire Cricket, “This is an exciting milestone for Lancashire Cricket and one we have been working towards for a significant amount of time. Partnering with a cricketing organization of RPSG’s exceptional caliber that shares our strategic vision allows us to immediately build on the joint venture with this new project together. I am also delighted we can directly reinvest a portion of the proceeds from The Hundred (a professional 100-ball cricket league in the United Kingdom featuring eight city-based Men’s and Women’s teams running simultaneously) into the long-term sustainability and growth of our club. The player development remains central to our mission and by advancing our training facilities we will directly enhance the opportunities across our talent pathway. It underscores our competitive ambition thus providing a world-class environment that elevates performance at all levels and ensures we can continuously develop and attract the elite talent.”

Concluded Storey, “While the above development marks a significant milestone it is also the beginning of the next phase of the journey. There is still a considerable amount of work ahead as we develop the detailed designs, engage with the stakeholders and progress through the planning process. This is a long-term project but one that we believe will transform the way we develop the players and support the elite performance for many years to come. There is also a real sense of pride in bringing this land back into the club’s ownership after it was sold in 1962 and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Sanjiv Goenka and the RPSG team for their collaboration in delivering a facility that represents a standard of excellence for our players and our club.”

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