CricHQ and The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) have secured a partnership that will see the Wellington-based cricket technology company become the official home of player-generated content from around the world.
A new digital platform will be built by CricHQ and this will house authentic player profiles for professional cricketers under the FICA umbrella, throughout Australia, England & Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. In addition, professional players from countries outside of FICA will also be able to create their own personal profile page, enabling all players to take ownership of their online profile and to effectively engage with their global fan base. The new player content platform is expected to be released in September 2013.
CEO of CricHQ Simon Baker said the accredited pages would give domestic and international players a hub to build their personal profile, promote merchandise and memorabilia, maintain statistics, load photo and video content, and communicate directly with their fans.
“This deal with FICA is great news for the players, but also for cricket fans who will soon have a go-to place for all sorts of content, direct from their favorite cricketers. We’re not just talking about the standard bio and a barrage of statistics here – this hub will also include social media activity, video, chat and images too. These personal player pages are all about connectivity and direct access.”
Baker identifies FICA was an ideal partner given its role co-ordinating player representation across the various player associations. “We’re proud FICA have endorsed CricHQ’s all-in-one technology platform and we’re looking forward to delivering a cool, new, simple, safe and effective platform for the players. There is huge potential here.”
FICA Executive Chairman Paul Marsh said the initiative would give players increased ownership over their online presence.
“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity that will give players a new sense of control over the way they connect with fans and will have the ability to provide benefits beyond their playing days.
“We know fans want to hear directly from the players and this is a way to make that happen. Creating socially interactive profile pages will bring fans closer to players than ever before”.
