INDIANAPOLIS: The Midwestern city best known for its basketball and auto racing is gearing up for cricket — a game most Americans know only from British films or by surfing through international sports channels.

Indianapolis is spending $ 6 million to equip one of its parks with a premier cricket pitch, and space for Gaelic football, rugby, hurling and other sports mainly popular overseas.

Mayor Greg Ballard hopes his World Sports Park project will bring international exposure to Indiana’s capital and help local companies attract talented overseas workers by offering them a home for their favorite games.

“I don’t think there’s any city that’s trying to put all these pieces together, but there’s always a first-mover advantage for those who try to do it right,” he said. “These are global sports and they’ll give us more visibility in the global marketplace.”

Cities across the country are jockeying for any advantage they can find to boost economic development, and sports is an easy target.  The British brought cricket to the American colonies in the early 1700s.