ECB National Cricket Performance Centre

Since September 2003 Loughborough University has become the permanent base for the ECB’s National Cricket Performance Centre. The state-of the-art indoor cricket centre is also the base and training facility for Loughborough MCCU.

£4.5m was invested in this development in order to make it one of the best indoor training venues for cricket in the world. The indoor centre has six lanes with capacity for pace bowlers full fun-ups and for wicket keepers to stand back. The keeping area can also become a separate fielding zone. The ECB and Loughborough cricket authorities have amalgamated some of the best features from indoor centres around the world in the specification for the building.
 
The Loughborough campus indoor cricket centre has an artificial supergrasse surface, high specification lighting and natural light in day time, hawk-eye cameras and a range of advanced technical analysis and sports science support facilities. The University’s existing outstanding cricket grounds have been upgraded in recent years with the indoor centre providing a new pavilion facility for the main ground.

The National Academy players, under Director David Parsons, will be based at the University throughout the winter each year when they are not touring overseas. Outside their use, the impressive facilities will be utilised by Loughborough MCCU, Loughborough Students Cricket Club and some local community clubs for indoor practise. The Centre is also utilised for the ECB’s coaching courses, and squad training camps; and the University is host to the England age group squads, England’s women’s side and a number of significant cricket events.
 
ECB NCPC Manager, Dr Guy Jackson explains that “while the Centre has been designed and built to promote an ideal training environment for the Country’s very best young cricketers in the National Academy and other squads, Loughborough’s cricketers and coaches will have full access to these fantastic facilities.”