More than twenty cricket leagues from across United States joined together to form a new organization to manage the sport yesterday. The participating leagues include several of the largest and historically rooted leagues. The new organization will be called Cricket America.
Promoting the game is the one of the primary objective of Cricket America.
Cricket has been played in America for three centuries and the United States is responsible for many historic cricketing firsts including the first international cricket match, first overseas tour and first overseas tour by a collegiate team. Throughout the twentieth century, however, cricket lost ground to other sports. During the last decade, the United States has experienced a groundswell of interest in cricket in the country, especially among immigrants from cricket playing countries.
While the sport is once again experiencing a surge in grassroots enthusiasm, it has been unable to make significant inroads into the American sporting landscape. The reasons are many but foremost among them are the absence of a coherent strategy and a robust organizational framework.
The new organization hopes to have greater success by effectively coordinating player and fan development on and off the pitch. Cricket America will foster an inclusive community involving all of the sport’s stakeholders and attract investment by managing the sport through a commitment to transparency and sustainable development initiatives.
“The need for transparency, authentic political inclusion and effective participation of all members in the decision-making process are the founding principles of Cricket America. We believe that the way forward for cricket in the USA is inclusion and not exclusion,” said Leighton Greenidge, President of Southern Connecticut Cricket Association, who is the Convenor Cricket America’s Steering Committee.
Cricket America’s forward-looking vision is to offer each aspiring cricketer and fan the opportunity to discover, learn, and participate in the sport regardless of age, gender or cultural background. Cricket America will channel the passion and energy of those already playing the sport to attract new players and continue grassroots development. Consistent with this, Cricket America will focus on creating shared resources and sporting infrastructure that can be utilized by organizers and volunteers around the country to fuel the game’s expansion.
Cricket America’s founding members are moving quickly to transform the organization’s vision into reality. A steering committee and an advisory board composed of several talented and experienced individuals have been formed, and a variety of sub-committees are finalizing the operational details of the new organization. The organization’s founding members will conduct road shows in all major cities within the month.
Avinash Varma, President of Washington Metro Cricket Board and a member of Cricket America’s steering committee said, “Cricket America will transform the cricketing landscape of this country through transparency and accountability. We are working to create an organization that American cricketers will be proud of and one that will be seen as the flag bearer of the game in USA.”
Those interested in helping chart a new, sustainable path for American cricket are invited to join the growing number of volunteers by writing to avinash.wmcb@gmail.com.
Media Contact:
Gangaram Singh
619-787-0856
gsingh@mail.sdsu.edu