A ceremonial groundbreaking for the Washington Freedom cricket team’s proposed permanent home stadium and special events venue took place October 16 on East Patrick Street in Frederick, Maryland.
The privately funded, 10,000-capacity facility is planned as the future home of Washington Freedom, with space for professional cricket matches, recreational activities, and other community events.
“Welcome to the home of Washington Freedom Cricket. We’ll start with the groundbreaking here,” said the team’s general manager, Rohit Anand.
Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller described the ceremony as a significant moment for the team and the community.
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“There’s nothing else I can say about this great moment that we’re experiencing today. But here’s the thing, Frederick, you got the keys, and now you have freedom,” she said.
Calling it an “auspicious day,” Miller noted that the date marked the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee’s decision to add cricket to the Olympics.
“So, get ready, Los Angeles, cricket is coming over there,” she added.
“Every great story has a great author behind it,” Miller said, crediting Sanjay Govil, owner of the Washington Freedom franchise in Major League Cricket (MLC), with helping advance the sport locally.
She noted that Govil had built businesses and raised his family in Maryland. Describing him as someone willing to take risks, Miller said he started a business with $1,000 and developed it into a billion-dollar company.
Miller also highlighted Govil’s support for Major League Cricket and his subsequent commitment to bringing the team to Frederick. The proposed stadium, she said, would provide a home for the franchise and a gathering place for cricket fans.
Thanking community members who supported the project, Miller also recognized Preet Takhar, chair of Maryland’s Commission on South Asian American Affairs, for his efforts to bring communities together across the state.
Govil thanked those involved in developing the project and said his goal was to create a cricket park centered on the community.
“We have a beautiful river. We want to make a nice park along the river, where the community can come and enjoy,” he said.
While a cricket match lasts a few hours, Govil said he wanted families to spend the entire day enjoying the surrounding park and its activities.
He drew on his experience at Auburn University, a Southeastern Conference school known for its game-day traditions, including large tailgate gatherings before and after games. He said he envisioned a similar atmosphere for Washington Freedom in Frederick.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland recalled Sanjay and Vidya Govil’s vision for Major League Cricket in the United States and welcomed their decision to establish the team’s permanent home in Frederick.
“We’re so glad you’re making your permanent home right here in Frederick, Maryland,” he said.
Van Hollen also spoke about the role sports can play in connecting communities.
“Sports are about competition, they’re about rivalries, but at the end of the day, they are about bringing people together, bridging people from all different backgrounds, and that’s what’s so exciting about a cricket match or a soccer match or whatever it may be,” he said.
Reflecting on his own introduction to cricket, Van Hollen said he grew up in a Foreign Service family and spent his early years in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
“And when I was in Sri Lanka, I played a bit of cricket myself,” he added.
He described cricket as another religion in those South Asian countries, where enthusiasm for the sport brings people together. With an established fan base already in the United States, he said cricket had the potential to attract more participants and spectators over time.
U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam highlighted the opportunities the stadium could offer young cricket fans throughout the Washington metropolitan region.
“It’s an opportunity for our cricket-crazy kids to come see world-class cricket right here in the DMV and dream about one day playing for the Freedom themselves and being a part of the successful franchise. And so I’m so proud to have the Freedom here in the DMV,” he said.
Subramanyam recalled visiting India during his childhood summers, when his cousins encouraged him to play cricket.
“I would, and I got really into cricket. But then when I would come back here, my friends wanted to play baseball or football,” he said.
Today, he said, children play cricket in neighborhood cul-de-sacs near his home. He described that change as an indication of the sport’s growing popularity in the region and across the country.
Sanjay Rai, former secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, thanked Washington Freedom for choosing Frederick and Maryland as the team’s home.
“We are so honored and fortunate to have them right here in our state of Maryland,” he said.
Rai added that sports bring people together, help build communities, and inspire young people.
Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said the county was well suited to become Washington Freedom’s home. She emphasized that projects of this scale require vision, persistence, and cooperation among the team, its ownership, project partners, elected officials, and community leaders.
“We’re here because people stayed committed to finding a path forward and building something that will benefit Frederick County for years to come,” Fitzwater said.
Maryland State Delegate Karen Simpson said she was honored to attend the ceremony and pointed to the support represented by those gathered.
“Everyone who is here is committed to this project,” she said.
Frederick City Council President César Díaz described the project as a “landmark” for both the franchise and the city.
He said the stadium would give Washington Freedom a home field while adding a significant new venue to Frederick. Díaz also highlighted growth in the city and county, describing them as the fastest-growing jurisdictions of their kind in Maryland.
Satyapriya Singh, minister (community affairs) at the Embassy of India in Washingto DC, called the groundbreaking a “momentous” occasion and said it was an opportunity she did not want to miss.
Offering congratulations to the owners on behalf of Indian Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra, Singh also thanked local residents for embracing cricket.
“For Indians, cricket runs in our blood,” she said, welcoming the enthusiasm for the sport in the United States.
Singh said the initiative could bring communities together while helping strengthen relations between India and the United States.
Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor said the project’s significance extended beyond its role as a venue for professional cricket.
“Today, we’re breaking ground on something that represents so much more than a professional sports facility. As you have heard, we’re celebrating a new opportunity for economic growth, community connection, and Frederick’s continued evolution as a destination for people, businesses, and new ideas,” he said.
“It is the first ball in the first over,” O’Connor added, using a cricket reference to describe the project’s beginning.
He emphasized that major developments require more than an idea. They depend on people willing to work together to move a shared vision forward.
“And today is a reflection of what can happen when private investment and local leadership and a shared commitment to our community come together,” he said.
Washington Freedom player Andries Gous described the ceremony as a “lovely moment” for the owners and the broader Washington Freedom organization.
Gous said the team still had unfinished business, but establishing a permanent home represented an important step for the franchise.
“Now we can finally say that we’ve got our home ground,” he said.
Major League Cricket CEO Johnny Grave emphasized the importance of pairing a vision for the sport with the investment needed to carry it out.
He said he looked forward to returning over the next several years to see the site’s transformation. Major League Cricket, he added, was established to help transform the sport in the United States.
“It’s moments like today that we’ll look back on as historic moments for the sport in this country,” Grave said.
Cricket West Indies CEO Chris Dehring recalled arranging a meeting between Govil and Jamaica’s prime minister in Washington, D.C., several years earlier.
“I was using Sanjay to demonstrate to my prime minister in Jamaica where cricket was going. Whatever Sanjay Govil is going to invest in, close your eyes and follow the leader,” Dehring said, praising Govil’s vision for the sport.
