A new Urban Cricket facility has opened in Nottingham as part of a grassroots initiative led by npower and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to increase the number of children playing cricket.

The purpose-built facility, which has transformed a disused area of the city's King Edward Park in Sneinton, is designed to provide a permanent area for young people to develop their cricket skills. It is the fourth of five sites planned in cities across the UK as part of the scheme, which has also seen the creation of five urban cricket zones in local school playgrounds in a bid to provide additional areas to practice the sport.

Nottingham City Council (NCC) and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Board have also been involved with the work, which aims to provide a community development programme that enables young people to work their way up to club cricket standard and beyond. England cricketer Stuart Broad helped to launch the new facility. He said: "It's going to make a real difference to the local community and will hopefully produce plenty more first class cricketers for Nottinghamshire."

NCC portfolio holder for communities, leisure and culture, Dave Trimble, added: "Nottingham has a great tradition for cricket with Trent Bridge central to our sporting landscape, lets hope this will ensure some more home grown talent playing for Nottinghamshire soon." Launched in 2006, the npower Urban Cricket initiative has seen more than 60,000 Urban Cricket kits distributed throughout the UK, along with the opening of three other purpose-built facilities in London, Sheffield and Birmingham. The fifth and final facility is due to open in Manchester later this month.