There were twenty-five (25) established leagues, and about six hundred (600) cricket clubs, one could actually name in the US in June 2000.

In 2000, therefore, around 10,000 active, full-season cricketers are probably registered to play cricket in the USA.

An estimated one-quarter of this 10,000, around 2500, play in the New York/New Jersey area. The rest---a growing number, as well as an increasing percentage of the total---are distributed across the USA, in newly developing centers of cricket.

These are impressive numbers, indeed. Only the nine major cricketing nations have as many (or more) active cricketers than there presently are in the US.

In terms of the number of active cricketers, the US is ahead of Bangladesh or Kenya, and is approaching the participation levels of Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka. Kenya, for example, operates off a base of about 5,000 active players; Bangladesh has around 10,000. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have around 20,000 active players.

Here is how it breaks down by region in the US.

In the East, there are approximately 250 cricket clubs. There are eight established leagues with about 100 clubs in the New York/New Jersey area (about 14 leagues with 250 clubs have actually been reported in this region, but these numbers need to be verified). Then there are 4 leagues (about 50 clubs) in the Eastern states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland (the DC/Baltimore area), and in the New England region. As of 1997, there is a new league in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Mid-Atlantic Cricket Conference with 10 to 15 teams, filling the gap between North-East and South-East USA. We also find around 10 university clubs unaffiliated with non-university leagues but which may be in university leagues such as the Ivy League. There are also up to 20 non-university unaffiliated clubs which play regularly with university and non-university teams but are not part of any official cricket league, in South and North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

In the South, there are perhaps 130 clubs. The largest concentration is in Florida, with THREE leagues comprising about 60 clubs, two in South Florida (near Miami) and one in the Tampa/Orlando area. Then we find leagues with around 10 clubs in Louisiana/Mississippi and Georgia. There are also about 15 university clubs, most of them unaffiliated with non-university leagues in the area, and new clubs forming in Tennessee and South Carolina. Finally, we find perhaps 10 non-university unaffiliated clubs in the South region.

In the Central US, there are approximately 110 clubs. Most of them (perhaps 60 clubs) are found in 4 leagues; the Midwest League in and around Illinois and Missouri, and leagues and cricket clubs in Iowa, Minnesota and the Kansas/Oklahoma region. As in the other areas, there are many university clubs (about 20 in this region) that are unaffiliated with non-university leagues. There may also be 30 unaffiliated clubs identified in the Central US, although this number is probably an underestimate.

In the Rocky Mountain West, there are approximately 40 cricket clubs. Many of the established ones can be found in two leagues (comprising about 20 clubs), in Colorado and Arizona. There are also TWO leagues in the State of Texas, the North Texas and the Houston Leagues, which number about 30 cricket clubs among them. There are many strong university clubs in the Rocky Mountain region, about 10 of them (for example, in Utah and New Mexico) unaffiliated with non-university leagues. Then there are perhaps 5 clubs that could be considered unaffiliated, and another 5 in states like Montana or Wyoming.

In the Far West, there are approximately 90 clubs. Four Far West leagues, with about 80 clubs, TWO in Northern California, one in Southern California and another rapidly growing one in Washington/Oregon/Idaho make up most of this number. As elsewhere in the US, there are about 10 university clubs unaffiliated with non-university leagues. There are also about 10 cricket clubs, e.g. in Hawaii, Idaho and Alaska, including 2 teams (based in Seattle) which play in Canadian rather than US leagues.

The US, in other words, has more than enough players to think of becoming a future cricketing power. Also, there is a substantial base of support for cricket events staged in North America, such as the Sahara Cup in Ontario, and Caribbean exhibition matches in South Florida. The problems are organization, and logistics (distances and money). How these are solved will determine the future of US cricket in the 21st century.