CRICKET team members are worried about their futures amid plans to allow major music events at a popular Cardiff park.
The Chairman of Bay Dragons Cricket Club, Syed Abbas, said his team’s progression could be “severely dented” because of the potential damage live music events could have on the fields they and other teams play on.
Cardiff Council has applied for a new licence for Balckweir Fields which will allow live music events of up to 35,000 people there if approved.
It’s in preparation for a highly anticipated event called Blackweir Live, which will welcome major artists such as Kings of Leon, Noah Kahan, Courteeners, Alanis Morissette and Stevie Wonder over a period of days in June and July.
Cardiff Council said it will use technology similar to that used at high-profile cricket grounds to protect Blackweir Fields, but the chair of one mid-week cricket league has come out and questioned the measures that have been proposed.
The chairman of Cardiff Midweek Cricket League (CMCL), Khawaja Ali Ajmal, said astro-turf pitches – a temporary solution proposed by the council – will not be suitable replacements and that in the long-run teams will need something more adequate to protect the league’s future.
However, it is not just the future of grass roots cricket in Cardiff that’s at stake.
When we met with Syed Abbas at a Bay Dragons cricket training session one evening, he said the sport is more than just a bit of exercise for the team.
Syed said: “It is sad because the impact Bay Dragons has on the local community is significant.
“I have entertained charities like Oasis who approached us to integrate people who have fled war.
“We had an 18-year-old kid, an Afghan kid whose family was brutally murdered and… he had nothing in this country.
“He was completely on his own and he was brought in to find some happiness playing cricket because that’s the only thing he recognised and we gave him a home here.
“He has moved on now…. but it is just an example.
“There are many other people who actually come to us because of mental health reasons as well.”
Bay Dragons play their home matches at Blackweir Fields and are based in the centre of Cardiff, attracting players from places like Grangetown, Riverside and Canton.
A proposed site plan for Blackweir Live shows that Bay Dragons’ cricket squares won’t be used in this specific event, but teams do play on the main area of the field that will accommodate tens of thousands of people.
The concern from the club and leagues is not just about this one event though, as the council is applying for a licence that would allow it to hold future events similar to Blackweir Live.
Talking about the potential long term impact on the club, Syed said: “The concern is very real.
“Over the last three or four years, various different events have been held in Bute Park… we have tried to speak with the council, but obviously we understand that it is a public park and we can’t stop all of that from happening.
“You can take one or two events on the chin. Too many feet on a cricket square would basically mean the cricket square is damaged. These are unprotected squares.”
Bute Park has hosted a number of popular events, including live music events, over the years.
Pictures taken recently of Coopers Field, where some of these events are held, show that there are still large patches of soil where the grass hasn’t recovered.
A similar issue affecting Blackweir is what many teams and other people who enjoy the fields worry about.
Further expressing his concerns over the potential knock on effects on cricket, Syed said: “You see many kids who actually want to come in and join because they want to stay away from all of the riff raff on the street.
“Not being able to provide something that people love and relate to, specifically the South Asian community – a very big cricket loving community – and if you take away cricket from them, they are not going to go and play football, they are not going to go and play rugby.
“They know cricket, they play cricket. If you take that away from them… they will probably go into some other needless activity that they don’t want to be involved in or… there will be just be a lot of unhappy people in Cardiff.”
Some of the players explained how much the club means to them.
“Initially, I didn’t know anyone in Cardiff when I moved… from India,” said Surender Subburaj, who joined Bay Dragons in 2023.
“I got a lot of friends using this club. It was not only for the cricket. It was also very useful for my personal life.”
Another player, Alex Mathews, joined the club when he was a student last year.
He said cricket is a sport he has played since he was in school, but the social aspect of the game is something he values above all else.
Alex added: “I would put that above winning or losing. It is more important to me.”
He said to not have it in his life “would be a loss”.
Captain of the second team, Ajay Singh, has been with the club for the past five years.
“The moment we have over here is really nice,” he said. “When it comes to the social impact, cricket is… about teamwork.
“You get to know people, different personalities as well and that actually helps you.”
The potential impact on their ground is something Ajay said he would worry about. He added: “To be very honest I don’t want to lose this club because this is like a second home to me.
“This is a great place for us to socialise.”
There is already a licence in place at Blackweir Live to hold events with up to 25,000.
The new licence applied for by Cardiff Council proposes the sale of alcohol for consumption on and off site from Monday to Sunday between the hours of 9am and 10.15pm.
It also asks to allow live music on site from Monday to Sunday between the hours of 9am and 10.30pm.
A council spokesperson said: “As the ‘home team’ at Blackweir Fields, the Bay Dragons have priority use of a cricket pitch at Blackweir Fields. This pitch is outside of the area that will be used for the Blackweir Live events.
“The Council is currently waiting for confirmation of the club’s fixture list however, as the pitch is outside of the event space we would expect any disruption to be limited to the five days on which concerts are taking place.”
The Noah Kahan, Kings of Leon and Courteeners gigs will be taking place on Friday, June 27 and Sunday June 29.
Alanis Morissette, Slayer and Stevie Wonder will be playing at Blackweir on Wednesday July 2, Thursday July 3 and Wednesday July 9 respectively.
The council spokesperson added: “If a fixture does clash with a concert date, then these will be rearranged for alternative pitches at Pontcanna Fields or Llandaff Fields.
“Dialogue with all cricket leagues that could be affected by the Blackweir Live events is continuing, however the Council is confident that all cricket fixtures due to take place during these summer events can be accommodated at other locations.
“Holding concerts on sports pitches is not unusual and special care will be taken to protect the cricket squares from damage. The technology used at Blackweir will be similar to that used when high profile cricket grounds, such as Old Trafford host events.
“Grass does not grow during the winter months. The Coopers Field area, used for the Christmas light trail, was affected by significant flooding this winter. The growing season has only just begun and even in more typical years, the grass would not be expected to fully re-establish until later in the spring.
“In the summer growing season when Blackweir Live is due to take place, weather conditions along with additional watering if needed, would enable much quicker re-establishment of grass than is possible after a winter event, if it was required.
“A licence to hold events on Blackweir Fields, at any time of the year, has been in place for many years. The recent licencing application does not change that.”
Chair of the Cardiff Midweek Cricket League (CMCL), Khawaja Ali Ajmal, said he has found the level of engagement form Cardiff Council on the Blackweir Live event and future events “disappointing”.
Mr Ajmal said: “The decision to hold large-scale events at Blackweir was made without consulting CMCL or the wider cricketing community, despite the fact that our league has been an integral part of Cardiff’s sporting culture for over a century.
“While the council has now suggested alternative astro-turf wickets, these were proposed only after the decision had already been made, rather than engaging with us beforehand to find a proper solution.”
CMCL currently accommodates 1,200 players across 36 teams.
Losing Blackweir Fields would mean the league would not have enough grounds to run effectively, according to Mr Ajmal.
He added: “We have reluctantly accepted the council’s offer to play on astro-turf/carpet wickets because without them, we would have to fold several divisions and competitions this year.
“However, this is only a short-term solution—astro wickets are not a proper alternative to natural grass wickets, and they significantly change the nature of the game.
“Long-term, the council must invest in developing more cricket squares in Llandaff and Pontcanna fields to ensure that grassroots cricket is not permanently affected.”
He later went on to say: “I am deeply concerned about the future of CMCL. If Blackweir is lost and no proper alternatives are provided, the league cannot operate at its full capacity.
“The council must understand that this decision does not just affect one or two games—it threatens the entire structure of the UK’s largest midweek cricket league, which has been running for over a century.”
Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for culture, sport and parks, Cllr Jennifer Burke, has said the event at Blackweir will go some way to improving the live music offering at the city and benefit it financially.
Mr Ajmal said: “We understand that hosting events brings financial benefits to the wider community, but those gains should be reinvested into the midweek cricketing community, which is most affected by these changes.
“The council must commit to building more cricket squares in Llandaff and Pontcanna so that future leagues are not compromised.”
A council spokesperson said: “A meeting with Cricket Wales has been arranged for early April which will be attended by the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Parks.
“We have been attempting to liaise with clubs through the leagues and we are intent on improving communication channels.
“Dialogue with all cricket leagues that could be affected by the Blackweir Live events is ongoing, however, the Council is confident that all cricket fixtures due to take place during these summer events can be accommodated at other locations.
“The Blackweir events will help the city deliver on its Cardiff Music City ambitions. We recognise it’s important that a balance is achieved between building a thriving economy, using the money the council receives from events to reinvest in our parks, and our grassroots music venues, while managing the expectations of some residents and park users.
“We hope this can all be achieved successfully while continuing to boost Cardiff’s status as a great events destination. A status it is known for worldwide.”
At a full council meeting on Thursday, March 27, the Conservative’s group leader Cllr John Lancaster asked Cllr Burke to outline the process by which Blackweir Fields was chosen for Blackweir Live.
He went on to say that he has been contacted by a number of residents who are concerned about the proposals for live music events on Blackweir Fields.
Tickets for Kings of Leon at Blackweir Live went on sale in December 2024.
A licencing application relating to Blackweir Fields wasn’t published on Cardiff Council’s website until February 21, 2025.
There was further concern from residents after the council felled a number of trees at a location on the edge of Blackweir Fields where plans for the upcoming live music event show a new entrance to the site.
Cardiff Council said at the time that the clearance was necessary as part of its standard risk management and that a number of the trees were either dead or affected by ash dieback.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council is using the Blackweir Live event to have work on trees paid for by the event organisers.
Cllr Lancaster said: “These frustrations are magnified by there being perfectly good sites for gigs elsewhere.
“Will you commit to meeting residents and friends groups to further understand their concerns and work with them?”
Cllr Burke said she is already engaged with a number of groups and that it is a “vocal minority who are frustrated” about the plans for live music.
She added: “If you want to live in a undisrupted utopia, that is not going to happen in a capital city and there has to be a balance between attracting… major events, building a thriving economy… with the needs of residents.
“The money that’s coming in for the Blackweir Live event is being re-invested into our grass roots venues.. and into parks as well.”
