Head to Manukau City Cricket Club’s indoor training facility on any weeknight and expect to be deafened by the sound of bat on ball.
MCCC President Mike Halliday says the centre, which has now been open officially for 18 months, is at capacity for most weeknights in the winter and spring, with players and teams using the facility for pre-season training.
Weekends are almost as busy, with the centre at 80 per cent capacity.
“We’ve got five nets but sometimes 10 wouldn’t be enough!”
Located at the club’s home ground at War Memorial Park in Manurewa, the 1100-square-metre building is the first indoor training facility for cricket in the Counties Manukau area and, as such, is not only used by Manukau City.
Northern Districts Cricket Association, Counties Manukau Cricket Association and club teams from Papakura and Weymouth have been taking advantage of year-round training.
The centre also hosts school holiday programmes and junior programmes, providing cricket opportunities for players from the age of five through to senior level.
“The centre is great. It’s busy as and everyone loves it,” Mike says. “This winter everyone really ramped up their use of the facility and we are really proud of the way the centre is growing and promoting cricket for the whole region.”
Running the centre keeps MCCC’s volunteers on their toes and they have been working hard to keep costs down as much as possible for local groups. “We want to keep growing the sport for the whole community, not just our club.”
Wiri Licensing Trust backed the centre during its construction, supporting the club’s applications to Trillian for almost $500,000 in funding.
Trust General Manager Kim Green says it’s exciting to be able to continue to increase the quality of facilities around Manurewa and the wider South Auckland region.
“This facility was the first of its kind in our area and it’s fantastic to see it being so well used and supported by the community.”
Player numbers at MCCC increased last summer and, with the 2026/27 season about to kick off, Mike expects that steady growth to continue. If you would like to find out more about playing for the club, head to the MCC website.
