Gloucestershire Cricket is set to refurbish the players and match officials facilities at the Seat Unique Stadium this autumn.
Currently, the player and match officials areas (PMOA) fall a long way short of compliance with the ECB’s international staging regulations. This redevelopment will elevate Glos to the top table of venues for the next staging match cycle beyond 2031, as well as for future ICC tournaments, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UK in 2030.
The club has worked closely with the ECB from the outset, with the governing body providing cost benchmarks and, satisfied with the project’s scope and direction, committing to cover a third of the development costs to ensure all improvements meet long-term regulatory and accessibility requirements.
Key upgrades will include:
• Creation of four enlarged, international-standard dressing rooms within the Pavilion and Bristol Cricket Centre, to ensure the Club can host double-header fixtures.
• Construction of a mezzanine floor in the Bristol Cricket Centre. Fully compliant match officials’ changing areas.
• Gender-neutral dressing rooms with new toilets and showers.
• Enhanced facilities for physios, sports science and medical teams.
• Enlarged spaces for fourth officials, including DRS oversight.
• Extended players’ balcony with clear team demarcation and a permanent players’ bridge to the outfield.
• Inclusive wheelchair-accessible infrastructure for disability athletes.
• Improved analyst positions.
• Refurbishment of the Jessop Room for year-round use as a player dining space or hospitality venue.
The new facilities will be in use by the start of the 2026 domestic season, when Gloucestershire’s Men’s and Women’s teams begin their campaigns in April.
England Women will first make use of the upgraded facilities when they face India on 30 May, ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will see six matches played at the venue in late June featuring countries such as New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies.
At next year’s World Cup, the stadium will host two double-header matchdays, during which the revamped PMOA will play a central role in providing all four teams with access to industry-leading, international-standard changing facilities simultaneously. England Men follow suit for their high-profile IT20 against world champions, India, on 9th July.
The Nevil Road refurbishment will run in Neil Priscott, CEO at Gloucestershire Cricket, said: “The extensive overhaul of the Players and Match Officials area at the Seat Unique Stadium is a crucial project as Gloucestershire seeks to protect its important status as an international and global tournament venue for the years to come.”