American Cricket Federation
Next month, a revolutionary change will take place in the way American domestic cricket is conducted. For the first time, American cricket leagues will put their best on the field in a seventeen-team, season-long, 40-over competition that will ultimately determine the US national champion. This competition is the American Cricket Champions League (ACCL).
Historically, US teams from distant locales might come together over a weekend to compete for a trophy or a cash prize, but never before have teams competed in a season-long national league. Never before has there been a way to determine, through play on the pitch, which league is America’s best. Now there is.
Also, it has never before been possible to see top players in elevated competition for more than a handful of days in a season. Now, America’s best will be facing off throughout the spring, summer and even into the fall, when the top six squads will meet in Florida hoping to win the national championship.
The ACCL will pit league teams against each other in six geographic divisions. These teams will have home and away matches, with three points awarded for a road win, two points for a home win and one point each for matches abandoned due to weather. ICC ODI match rules will be used in the games.
In October, the six division winners will advance to the national championship tournament in Florida. The winner of that tournament will be the national champion league, and will automatically qualify as the US representative in the North American Cricket Championship, held the following March in Phoenix.
ACF is also pleased to announce that Avinash Varma of the Washington Metropolitan Cricket Board will serve as the ACCL’s first commissioner.
Varma said, “The launch of the ACCL marks an important milestone in the growth of ACF and the evolution of cricket in the United States. For perhaps the first time in US cricket history, cricketers from across the entire country will be able to compete with their peers and play for a single national championship, which will galvanize cricketers, both youth and adult, from across the nation.
“The launch of ACCL should herald exciting times for US cricketers and another key step in unifying American cricket.”
Hammer Cricket, ACF’s equipment partner, will support the ACCL by presenting aHammer Cricket bat, pad & gloves to the top run scorer in the ACF National Championship Tournament. Also, the ACF Batsman of the Year will receive a full Hammer Cricket sponsorship, which includes two bats, gloves, pads, a bag, additional guards and apparel such as hats and shirts.
ACF Board Chairman Jagan Jagannathan said, “ACF is proud and excited to launch this first-of-a-kind inter-league national championship for US men’s cricket. Leagues are the lifeblood of American men’s cricket, and competing against each other in a season-long format will make for compelling top-level cricket.
“With the national champion league getting the honor of representing the US against the best from Canada, the ACCL will provide year-long bragging rights and much-deserved attention and accolades for both leagues and players.”
Here’s how the divisions are set for the 2014 season:
New England Division
(Division Representative: Leighton Greenidge)
Massachusetts State Cricket League
Southern Connecticut Cricket Association
Commonwealth Cricket League
Mid-Atlantic Division
(Division Representative: Garnet Lalputan)
Greater Philadelphia Cricket League
Cricket League of New Jersey
Washington Metro Cricket Board
Mid-Atlantic Cricket Conference
Florida Division
(Division Representative: Wayne Ramnarine)
Florida Cricket Conference
North Florida Cricket League
Florida Southeast Cricket League
Great Lakes Division
(Division Representative: Shahid Ahmed)
Midwest Cricket Conference
Michigan Cricket Association
Ohio Valley Division
(Division Representative: Parag Pandya)
Pittsburgh Cricket Association
Midwest Cricket Tournament
Southwest Division
(Division Representative: Shantha Suraweera)
Orange County Cricket Association
Arizona Cricket Association
Southern California Cricket Association
Match results, player statistics and game stories will be featured on the ACF website, Facebook and Twitter feeds and on CricHQ. ACF will extensively promote the matches, teams and players to local, national and international media outlets, as well as local and national cricket fans, so as to raise the profile of the game in the United States.
It is our intention to help local fans and sponsors to become connected to their teams, and to make those emotional attachments necessary for the game to thrive here in America. This type of effort is also new to cricket in the United States, and is designed to raise the game to heights unknown in America.
So get ready, American cricket fans! Your Champions League is about to begin!
