Mahammad Qureshi, president and founder of Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) is putting his money where his mouth is and investing in a massive project in the Chicago region, where three cricket grounds will be built in Hanover Park, a suburb in the state of Illinois.
Qureshi has Midwest Cricket Council (MWCC) under his wings in the Chicago cricket region where the cricket fields are scheduled to be built.
Over the past weekend, Qureshi, one of the sponsors of the Chicago Unity Cup won by Kancha Cheena Pirates XI, announced the project will start shortly. MAQ as he is more popularly known has played a pivotal role in the development of cricket in Chicago, not only by spending money, but making himself available to promote the sport of cricket to the local authorities and players.
President of MWCC Shiraz Najam, said he is happy with the fact that Qureshi is making a change in Chicago. “The ‘Gates’ have opened as we embark on this exciting journey. We have been given the keys and clean-up work should begin shortly. This is a very exciting day for MWCC as we go from strength to strength. Never before have we achieved such an accomplishment whereby MWCC will have three exclusive cricket fields, in what will be known as Maq Cricket Stadium Hanover Park. We have great things in store for our membership exclusively in 2019.
Thanks to Mahammad Qureshi and CCUSA for their unwavering and unparalleled support, not only in the region but the development of cricket in general all around. Thanks to the Village of Hanover Park, especially Mr. Rodney Craig, one of the greatest mayors. He has been especially helpful in this entire project.”
The 2018 Chicago Unity Cup was played at Hyde Park in South Chicago, and organizers although grateful for the opportunity to play the tournament there, had a lot of work to do. They had to install fixtures like tents and other amenities to play the matches, and then uproot them at night and re-install them the next day. There were no washroom facilities available, and that was a sense of discomfort for the players and spectators alike.”
According to Qureshi, “Now all of that is going to change under the new setting. This facility is going to be great with nice areas for the players and fans. We want people to be comfortable and we are going to ensure that is done. We are hopeful that all will go well and that the next Chicago Unity Cup will be played at the MAQ Cricket Stadium in Hanover Park.”
Known as America’s Global Village, Hanover Park is located in Cook and DuPage counties in the suburb of Chicago, with a resident population of about 40,000 persons. The Hanover Park municipality covers a little over 6,000 sq. miles and has an Asian population of just over 15%.
The Agreement between CCUSA and Hanover Park expires in November 2028
