Yorkshire gamble on revolutionary retractable roof

Yorkshire have announced that Headingley will become the first stadium in the world to install a state-of-the-art retractable roofing system in an ambitious commitment that heralds a revolution in the game.

The roof - the substantial cost of which has yet to be revealed - will become the centrepiece of Headingley's new North/South Stand, and is due to be built in time for the 2019 World Cup and an Ashes Test against Australia.

In what must rank as a colossal financial gamble for a county £22m in debt, the new technology will be incorporated into the design of the new Rugby Stand, and will retract across the entire playing area ensuring that no days' of play will be lost to inclement weather.

ESPNcricinfo is one of the major sponsors. David Hopps, UK editor, said: "ESPN has a proud history of investing heavily in English cricket and this is just the sort of daring scheme that attracts us. Our approach to covering sports events is enshrined in the catchphrase 'We Speak Your Sport' and in their determination to invest heavily in the future Yorkshire are speaking a language we understand."

The old Rugby Stand was part condemned at the turn of the year and until now had become an embarrassment for arguably the most famous cricket club in the world.

Recent England internationals at Headingley have been dogged by bad weather, losing the county several millions of pounds in lost revenue, and Yorkshire have concluded that only such a daring solution can make cricket in the north of England financially viable.

A sell-out Twenty20 tie against Lancashire last season was also abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The All Sip Roof system has been developed over the past three years in the city of Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr Valley, the industrial powerhouse of Germany.

After prolonged negotiations, the club, in conjunction with its German roofing consultant Dorsal Loafyip, has finally agreed to incorporate the innovative All Sip Roof in Headingley's medium-term development, which will see the ground become one of the great stadiums of the world.

The announcement comes as Colin Graves, Yorkshire's outgoing chairman, prepares to take over the chairmanship of the ECB and press for radical changes in the future direction of the game.

"It is a historic day for Headingley and the All Sip Roof," said Loafyip. "The Headingley Stadium complex is synonymous across world sport and, in the year it celebrates its 125th anniversary, the cricket ground will continue to innovate with the installation of a retractable roof incorporating a state-of-the-art translucent roof.

"We approached Yorkshire six months ago and presented club officials with a strategy to eradicate the fear of too many rained off matches and rain delays especially around the major matches.

"Our system will stop the weather from intervening at matches forever. The club has struggled to come to terms with the rain and how it causes problems for players and members. The All Sip Roof will enable matches to carry on even when there is a strong downpour. This is the future of cricket and it will be rolled out first in Yorkshire. We believe other grounds will follow suit."

David Ryder, Yorkshire's operations director, believes the All Sip Roof will see Headingley lead the way in stadium development when the historic agreement is signed on April 1.

"In recent years we have lost too many days of cricket to rain and the All Sip Roof will give us a solution to overcome these challenges we face during the cricket season," he said.

"The All Sip Roof will protect the pitch from inclement weather and the innovative translucent roof will mean that the recently installed floodlights will filter through onto the playing surface. This is real progress for Headingley and cricket in general. We are very pleased to be leading the way in stadium development."

Work on Headingley's new North/South Stand is set to commence in 2017 and will be ready for use in time for the start of the 2019 season, when the ground will stage an Ashes Test Match and four ICC World Cup matches.