SAN JOSE – The San Francisco Unicorns cricket crew held its third annual household day on Sunday at Kathleen MacDonald Excessive Faculty, and identical to the final two years, tons of of children performed on the soccer subject and longtime followers of the game met members of the crew.
The distinction this yr was that as an alternative of touring out of state to play Main League Cricket matches, the Unicorns have been simply days away from opening their season 30 miles away on the Oakland Coliseum.
“We’ve had family days in past years,” Unicorns CEO David White stated. “But now to actually, physically play games here in front of our fan base is very exciting.”
After spending their first two seasons taking part in matches in North Carolina and Texas, the Unicorns open their third yr in MLC on Thursday towards the Washington Freedom, the identical crew they misplaced to in final yr’s remaining.
MLC matches will likely be going down daily on the Coliseum till June 18, with every of the league’s six groups taking part in 3 times. San Francisco additionally faces the Los Angeles Knight Riders on Saturday and MI New York on Sunday.
“I think the Bay Area has always been a place where there has been such a thirst for cricket, and we’re finally able to give them that product,” Unicorns captain Corey Anderson stated. “I know the guys are looking forward to playing at the Coliseum. It’s going to be a bit of a historic moment.”
White was given a directive by Unicorns co-owners Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan final yr to discover a technique to play on the Coliseum, which was set to turn into extra broadly obtainable after the Athletics left the getting older facility after 57 years to briefly relocate to Sacramento.
At first, the concept was a protracted shot. Not solely did the Unicorns should work out a cope with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, however in addition they wanted a wicket, the meticulous building of which, White stated, can take a yr to 18 months.
Youth cricket gamers participate in a clinic through the San Francisco Unicorns Household Day occasion on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. The third annual fan occasion kicks off the 2025 Cognizant Main League Cricket season. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
With these obstacles, White instructed Rajaraman and Harinarayan final August that the crew had a couple of 10% likelihood of taking part in on the Coliseum. However by December, these probabilities elevated to about 90%.
The Unicorns shortly labored out a cope with the Coliseum authority and secured the wicket that was used on the World Cup in New York final yr, which was being put in on the Coliseum on Sunday.
“My owners sort of looked me in the eye and said, ‘Look, we need to find a way to get games to the Bay Area,’” White stated. “We want to grow a team, we want to grow a fan base, and I took that challenge on myself. We obviously pushed the Coliseum very hard and pursued that and worked with the Oakland Roots to find that window and to make it happen.”
Roughly 1,500 followers confirmed up at Kathleen MacDonald Excessive Faculty for the household day occasion. Dad and mom who grew up with the game of their respective international locations seemed on as a sea of youngsters enthusiastically took half in cricket actions.
A few of the followers who arrived on Sunday grew up with the game in cricket-loving international locations like India and Australia earlier than they moved to the U.S.
San Francisco Unicorns crew captain Corey Anderson, proper, takes half in a cricket clinic with youth gamers on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. The third annual fan occasion kicks off the 2025 Cognizant Main League Cricket season. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
Pleasanton’s Anup Shah, who moved to the Bay Space from India 24 years in the past, stated he and over a dozen family and friends members will likely be at Thursday’s season-opener and presumably the Father’s Day recreation as nicely.
“Finally glad to see that actual games are being played here,” stated Shah, who introduced his two boys, ages 11 and 14, to the occasion. ”What will get me actually excited is that cricket can also be included within the (2028 Los Angeles) Olympics, so it type of units that tone for the cricket within the area, which is implausible.”
Anderson stood on the MacDonald soccer subject and was shortly approached by a younger autograph seeker. After a few minutes, the Unicorns’ captain was surrounded by equally aged youngsters seeking to get a signature from the longtime participant whose worldwide profession has spanned over a dozen years, longer than a few of these younger followers have been alive.
“The cricketing culture and the cricketing fan base is huge all over the world,” stated the 34-year-old Anderson, who has represented his native New Zealand and the USA in worldwide play. “It’s awesome to see kids here still know who you are.”
San Francisco Unicorns crew captain Corey Anderson indicators autographs throughout a cricket clinic with youth gamers on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. The third annual fan occasion kicks off the 2025 Cognizant Main League Cricket season. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
