ACF Conducts Level 2 Coaching Certification Clinic At WCC
Coach Jatin Patel assists a kid during the session.
The Washington Cricket Center (WCC) based in Laurel, Maryland (Between Baltimore and Washington, DC) recently hosted a weekend-long American Cricket Federation (ACF) Level 2 Instructor cricket coaching certification clinic. The coaching clinic was conducted by ACF’s Director of Coaching Jatin Patel, and produced six Level 2 coaches with Level 1 Instructor capabilities, and WCC plans to offer year round Level 1 coach certification training. It is a crucial first step towards providing an adequate number of trained coaches to help develop the potential of the youth and women cricketers in the Washington DC and surrounding areas. WCC is aiming to provide year round academy support for all who need to explore their skills and capabilities.
The interest is very high in Youth and Women’s cricket in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC and surrounding areas. Youth after school cricket programs and in-school cricket instruction programs are rapidly increasing in the area. However, this new development is being hampered by an adequate number of certified cricket coaches. Encouraging and expanding the number of coaches is a vital part of WCC’s mission to promote cricket in the area and the USA. The coaching clinic held by ACF was an attempt to address that deficit.
ACF Director of Coaching Jatin Patel (2nd from left) and WCC founder and owner Dr. Ajith Silva (2nd from right) join some of the newly certified coaches and instructors.
The WCC and its non-profit arm, the Washington Cricket Center Academy (WCC Academy) were founded in 2014 by Drs. Ajith and Priyanthi Silva. WCC Academy is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c) (3) of the revenue code. They began the initiative with a vision to promote the game by providing state-of-the-art facilities support and opportunities to learn, play and enjoy the world’s second most popular sport. The WCC currently owns both indoor and outdoor facilities to support cricket development and year round training. WCC facilities are recognized as being among the finest in the country, and the complex also has four side-by-side cricket fields, all with newly built natural Bermuda grass turf pitches, and is about to add a fifth cricket field in the same complex that may be used for youth and women’s cricket. It also has matting pitches and one ICC approved non-turf match wicket, practice nets and a clubhouse.
WCC’s activities are geared to achieving its formal mission: To promote the sport of cricket by conducting games and tournaments for cricketers nationally and internationally, and to enhance development opportunities for cricketers in general, and youth and women cricketers in particular.
Erfan Syed, an ICC Certified Level 1 coach, said, “It was so great to see and learn from a very knowledgeable coach like Mr. Jatin Patel. I am connected with this game for 40 years, still I felt like a kid when Coach Patel took us through a very interesting ‘know how session” of this wonderful game, and in the simplest way.
ACF deserve lots of praise and appreciation for this kind of cricket coaching here in the USA. I hope to attend more such training sessions in the future.”
About the American Cricket Federation (ACF) Cricket Coach Certification Program
The ACF Cricket Coach Certification Level 1 program was launched in May 2014, followed by the Level 2 certification program one year later in June 2015. Since the launch, 19 States can now boast of having certified ACF cricket coaches, with nine States having certified instructors for Level 1 coaches.
The American Cricket Federation is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization.
