Sherwood Forest a 'major destination' park hopes to get provincial funding for cricket pitches

By Louie Rosella

July 4th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

In its Live and Play Plan, the City of Burlington calls Sherwood Forest Park a “major destination” park in the city.

It was a small group – the biggest concern seemed to be space for cricket games to take place.

Thursday night (July 3), in the midst of rugby practices, soccer games and playground play, a few dozen residents showed up to the well-known park at 5270 Fairview Drive to hear the latest updates on the proposed amenities for the park’s “revitalization.”

The informal outdoor, “public living room” style event offered plans for the new park, including renderings of the proposed amenities.

This includes a proposed, full-size cricket pitch on the west side of the park, which would replace an existing soccer field, more parking spaces to accommodate the anticipated increase in park goers, a new splash pad, and the redevelopment of the Sherwood Forest Park Community Centre.

The redeveloped facility should include a full-size gymnasium and indoor walking track, according to City staff at Thursday’s event.

Residents in attendance had some questions about the planned cricket field, concerned that it would essentially be replacing the soccer field.

However, Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman said this updated plan addresses community needs.

Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, to the left, listening to what those who attended the event had to say.

“It’s all a question of whether you live here today or you live here in the future,” he told the Gazette. “The big issue is the changing character of our population; an increasing number of people who want to play cricket.”

Demand for cricket fields in Burlington is huge, City staff said, as there is just one dedicated cricket field in the city, located in Central Park.

Sharman said if residents were to walk around their neighbourhoods on the weekends, many would see the baseball diamonds being used for playing cricket.

Other residents, including Margaret Hughes, expressed concern that there was no immediate consideration being given to lighting the pathways that run through the park.

“In the winter time, people are walking through here in the dark at 5 p.m.,” she said.

City staff said lighted paths, ironically, can create safety issues, as the dark patches between lights create shadows that present hazards, such as hiding uneven pavement, ice patches, or even a potential attacker.

“Clearly safety is the priority,” Sharman said. “You look at the playgrounds. We turn the lights off at 11 p.m., for that very reason because we don’t to have people out there drinking beer and making noise in the middle of the night.”

Hughes and others understand the need for more cricket fields in the city.

“We’re running out of space in Burlington,” she said.

So, when could the cricket field be up and running?

“It’s dependent on a grant coming from the provincial government,” Sharman said. “We’re not expecting to get that answer for a number of weeks.”

City Staff member explaining the big picture to a resident.

Burlington has applied for a grant from the province’s Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund to help fund the Sherwood Forest Park project.

Development of Sherwood Forest Park is being guided by the 2016 Sherwood Forest Park Revitalization Plan; the City recently made major investments on the east side of this park by upgrading the ball diamonds, playground, and other features, the City said.

Sherwood Forest Park is located next to the Appleby GO Major Transit Station Area (MTSA), which is expected to experience significant population growth through intensification, the City said.

The City’s Live and Play Plan, which the City says is designed to ensure Burlington continues to grow as a sustainable, vibrant, and economically strong community, identifies Sherwood Forest Park as a “major destination” park.

Louie Rosella is a professor at Humber Polytechnic and a former journalist in the GTA.