San Francisco Unicorns kick off opening week with eyes on developing Bay Area cricket fanbase

SAN JOSE The San Francisco Unicorns cricket squad held its third annual family day on Sunday at Kathleen MacDonald High School and just like the last two years hundreds of kids played on the football field and longtime fans of the sport met members of the organization The difference this year was that instead of traveling out of state to play Major League Cricket matches the Unicorns were just days away from opening their season miles away at the Oakland Coliseum We ve had family days in past years Unicorns CEO David White announced But now to in fact physically play games here in front of our fan base is very exciting After spending their first two seasons playing matches in North Carolina and Texas the Unicorns open their third year in MLC on Thursday against the Washington Freedom the same association they lost to in last year s final MLC matches will be taking place every day at the Coliseum until June with each of the league s six teams playing three times San Francisco also faces the Los Angeles Knight Riders on Saturday and MI New York on Sunday I think the Bay Area has perpetually been a place where there has been such a thirst for cricket and we re at last able to give them that product Unicorns captain Corey Anderson commented 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 last year to find a way to play at the Coliseum which was set to become more widely available after the Athletics left the aging facility after years to temporarily relocate to Sacramento At first the idea was a long shot Not only did the Unicorns have to work out a deal with the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority but they also needed a wicket the meticulous construction of which White revealed can take a year to months Youth cricket players take part in a clinic during the San Francisco Unicorns Family Day event on Sunday June in Santa Clara Calif The third annual fan event kicks off the Cognizant Major League Cricket season Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group With those obstacles White communicated Rajaraman and Harinarayan last August that the group had about a chance of playing at the Coliseum But by December those chances increased to about The Unicorns speedily worked out a deal with the Coliseum authority and secured the wicket that was used at the World Cup in New York last year which was being installed at the Coliseum on Sunday My owners sort of looked me in the eye and reported Look we need to find a way to get games to the Bay Area White stated We want to grow a organization 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 fans established up at Kathleen MacDonald High School for the family day event Parents who grew up with the sport in their respective countries looked on as a sea of children enthusiastically took part in cricket exercises Chosen of the fans who arrived on Sunday grew up with the sport in cricket-loving countries like India and Australia before they moved to the U S San Francisco Unicorns organization captain Corey Anderson right takes part in a cricket clinic with youth players on Sunday June in Santa Clara Calif The third annual fan event kicks off the Cognizant Major League Cricket season Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Related Articles Mary Lou Retton isn t speaking to family since DUI arrest account SF Unicorns cricket matches to air on NBC Sports Bay Area stations Can passage visa backlogs for the World Cup and Olympics hurt the US Penske fires top including Tim Cindric from IndyCar organization after another cheating controversy Oakland Ballers opening night was a hit Can they be a financial winner this year Pleasanton s Anup Shah who moved to the Bay Area from India years ago revealed he and over a dozen friends and family members will be at Thursday s season-opener and possibly the Father s Day match as well Definitively glad to see that actual games are being played here reported Shah who brought his two boys ages and to the event What gets me really excited is that cricket is also included in the Los Angeles Olympics so it sort of sets that tone for the cricket in the region which is fantastic Anderson stood on the MacDonald football field and was speedily approached by a young autograph seeker After a couple of minutes the Unicorns captain was surrounded by similarly aged kids looking to get a signature from the longtime participant whose international career has spanned over a dozen years longer than certain of those young fans have been alive The cricketing beliefs and the cricketing fan base is huge all over the world revealed the -year-old Anderson who has represented his native New Zealand and the United States in international play It s awesome to see kids here still know who you are San Francisco Unicorns squad captain Corey Anderson signs autographs during a cricket clinic with youth players on Sunday June in Santa Clara Calif The third annual fan event kicks off the Cognizant Major League Cricket season Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group