American Cricket Supporters,
Last Thursday, I was given the great honor of being named the American Cricket Federation’s CEO. Since then, I have had the pleasure of speaking directly with many of you who are genuinely excited about the direction in which American cricket is now turning, and upon whom I can immediately depend for advice and energetic support.
American Cricket Federation CEO, Jamie Harrison.
Whether we were discussing how ACF will help to make clubs and leagues stronger, how we will properly develop the talents of our young players or plans for a national cricket league, the enthusiasm I heard was truly uplifting. You let me know that, hardball or softball, men’s or women’s, we are all on the same team here.
However, it would be misleading of me to insist that this optimism is found unbroken across the country. And so now I want to address those who have become accustomed to despair where US cricket is concerned – those who harbor doubts that any good thing can ever come from the game in America.
First, I want to tell you that I understand your hesitation – because I’ve been there, too. But now I ask you to trust again, because I have seen the future in the American Cricket Federation – and it is good.
To you who have shared the pain of American cricket with us, think of this as a fresh start for the United States. A new direction that listens, serves, enables and helps; let us consign management by coercion to history where it belongs.
A new gathering of American cricket leaders have picked up the flag, and we can now put the past fifty years, with all of its failures, frustrations and disappointments, behind us.
We also put behind us the cynical, self-serving voices of those who seek to divide us by skin color, ethnicity or place of residence. For though we may have been born in disparate lands, and our names and our voices may not sound of a singular strain, from many – we are one.
Today, I call on the next generation of American cricket leaders, those driven by a pure love for the game, rather than a base connection to self-serving interests, to join us as we build a new national edifice.
I today pledge to you my burning passion, my relentless efforts, and my unshakable faith in American cricket. I look forward to the great journey upon which we embark together, and the realization of our shared dream of a cricket-playing United States.
Best Regards,
Jamie Harrison
Chief Executive Officer
American Cricket Federation
www.cricketfederation.org