After moving from Mississauga to Paris, Ontario in 2022, Rajesh Prasad realized an opportunity to grow cricket in Brant County, a sport he is truly passionate about.
Prasad quickly sought, built, and fostered various partnerships in the community, including the City of Brantford.
“We first went to Brantford Sports Council (BSC) and asked them what could be done for cricket [and] what changes could happen for it to grow the sport in Brantford,” said Prasad. “We then went to City Hall where we presented [our vision] to councilors [and] to the mayor. I was there as a member of the Panthers Cricket Club along with the other cricket clubs who were involved. We then registered a league called the Brant County Cricket League,” said Prasad.
Prasad’s idea was to create an ‘ecosystem’ for people to get together and play cricket, especially in tournaments, which have grown in popularity.
“My vision was just not to just get a place to play, but invite outside teams from different areas and make sure that the game happens here…since 2022, we have hosted tournaments every year,” explained Prasad. “For each tournament, there have been anywhere from between ten to 20 teams [participating], who are traveling from Belleville, Niagara, London and nearby places. And we need to make that traveling more worthwhile for teams to come play here.”
However, one of the recent successes in attracting local participants, as well as, out-of-city teams has been the development of a better and safer playing area.
“We spoke with councilors as well as gaining support from Mayor Kevin Davis and MP Larry Brock…[and] we were able to get a good astro turf laid down at Waterworks Park. We are also working with the city to [maintain] compliances, [ensuring] a safer area for cricket to be played and enjoyed on,” stated Prasad.
With the positive changes like the new turf, people have become more interested.
“We have been able to bring in the acceptance for the game with people in the community [and] knowing that this sport is evolving, I can see a lot of families and their children spending more time involved with cricket [especially] and participating in the leagues and the tournaments we run,” said Prasad. “Every time there is something happening, like one of our tournaments, we see many families come out…and it’s [always] exciting to see people coming together….and supporting each other.”
However, Prasad continues to focus on appealing to the younger generation along with maintaining the established leagues.
“We have a Friday night league [and] a Saturday morning league happening…and for both leagues…we have both local teams and traveling teams [participating]…then we have a tournament that I run every year. With the league growing and the changes happening at Waterworks Park, Brantford has become a cricket destination,” Prasad explained. “With this interest, I have also started to run children’s summer camps which happens in July and August; in cooperation with the County of Brant…along with learning cricket, the kids are introduced to workouts, stretches, running, jogging, and yoga…helping them to get to play the sport the right way.”
Along with his drive to grow cricket, Prasad has been busy in developing other projects including opening 247 Sporting Inc. shop located at 174 Stanley St Unit A in Brantford which offers ‘247’ branded cricket gear.
“With cricket, I found that there’s a local need for high-quality sports goods. Many people have been traveling to Toronto, Brampton and Hamilton and they haven’t had many options around here,” Prasad said. “I wanted to make sure these ‘247’ products are viable for the local community and offer a brand that would represent our community and our vision.”
Along with cricket equipment and merchandise, Prasad’s shop offers products for a variety of sports including basketball, running, and pickleball with an eye to bringing in soccer-related gear very soon.
Nevertheless, Prasad, who has stepped away from his successful career in IT to focus on his shop, continues to invest his time in making cricket viable for all within Brantford and Brant County.
“I have been able to connect directly with the community who are playing the sport and I have listened and understood their needs for the past two years…I am looking in [introducing] a youth league, and to get more women participating and enjoying the sport while continuing to grow the leagues that we have currently running,” said Prasad.
Although Prasad, who is a board member of the Brantford Sports Council (BSC), continues to dedicate time in growing cricket, he has also become known for supporting many sports as well.
“Many people now don’t see me as someone who is connected with only cricket, but as someone who’s connected with many sports. As I am part of the BSC, I can connect to a lot of people who want their kids to participate in soccer, badminton, pickleball, and volleyball…we have inquiries on indoor spaces that are needed for those sports which we are working hard in trying to get,” stated Prasad. “For me being a board member [with the BSC], I believe I have a lot of obligations to our society…I would like to give back to our community by supporting many sports.”
