State Youth Associations Proposal
State Youth Associations Proposal
State Youth Associations Proposal
Proposal:
State Youth Cricket Associations to be
Considered an Integral Part of the
Junior/Youth Structure & Pathway
11.25.2020
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Overview 2
Current Youth Cricket Landscape 3
USA Sports Landscape 5
Challenges & Opportunities 6
Framework 7
Implementation 13
8A: Staged Rollout 13
Phase 1 (By May 1, 2021) 13
8B: Process of Forming 14
8C: Required Resources and Reporting Line 15
Human Resources 15
8D: Delivery Plan & Timeline 15
Budget 17
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1. Overview
In the recently released Foundational Plan (2020-2023) USA Cricket identified that...
“to grow and develop the sport in the USA for the next generation and for it to become a
leading cricketing nation, we need to create and engage new and younger cricket fans,
players, officials and coaches. As such, we will take steps to increase the relative amount
of investment into grassroots, community and youth cricket initiatives that will have
longer-term engagement and impact and build the players and fans of the future.”
The purpose of this document is to respond to this mandate by making a case for State
Youth Cricket Associations as a crucial part of the administrative landscape.
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In a country with the size and the population of the United States, it would be overwhelming
from a resource and manpower perspective for USA Cricket to manage all junior and youth
development initiatives centrally. USA Cricket must establish regional and local
administrative bodies to help with the delivery of grassroots cricket, just as do all other
leading cricket nations.
By supporting and facilitating State Youth Cricket Associations as a key component of the
national structure, USA Cricket can channel the energies of the many great cricket people
around the country to deliver mass participation entry level programs (Rookie League),
organize and run regular intra and inter state youth cricket competitions, support the national
umpire and coach pathways, and provide a place for parents and volunteers to get equipped
and engaged with the sport locally.
Once a state association begins operation, it is charged with increasing mass participation
and the availability of affordable programming, and also the operation of state teams where
talented prospects would be exposed to a higher level of coaching, regardless of economic
background. This is key if we are to grow cricket’s popularity in the United States, because
while 99% of youth players will never play international cricket, they will eventually become
the foundation of America’s cricket fanbase. To the degree that we accept limits on youth
participation today, we also accept limits on cricket’s long term popularity with Americans
tomorrow.
Ultimately, USA Cricket cannot fulfill its mandate to engage new and younger cricket fans,
players, officials and coaches without a network of vibrant state youth cricket associations to
implement this vision at the grassroots.
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There are currently five state youth associations organized in the United States. The oldest of
these is the Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA), founded in 2010. MYCA has created
six new youth cricket programs in the state and conducts dozens of school programs
annually. Its state youth cricket championship competition, operating since 2013, has grown
to five divisions (including a Girls Division) with over 650 players from 45 teams. MYCA’s
state teams have represented Maryland at regional and national tournaments since 2018,
winning multiple championships. Its top level state team, 17U, is coached by former Team
USA player Adil Bhatti, who is compensated for his work.
The Virginia Youth Cricket Association (VYCA) was organized earlier this year and has just
concluded its first state championship competition. Its representative state teams recently
faced off in a bilateral series against their neighbors in Maryland, with matches being
contested in both states in two separate age groups. The VYCA has five member
organizations at this point, stretching from Richmond in the south to the capital suburbs in
the north. They are planning an aggressive schools program, once the COVID crisis is past.
The other states with youth associations are in Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, but these are
embryonic and have not yet organized state competitions or representative state teams.
They are planning on these for the 2021 season.
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We can expect that in states with a multitude of established academies and youth
organizations, there will be initial resistance to the idea of power-sharing within a common
organization, even if the agreed-upon goals of that organization are praiseworthy. Actors
who have become accustomed to working alone will seek to avoid cooperation. Academy
rivals will be suspicious of each other, and will see sinister motives where none exist. Team
selection issues will be particularly thorny.
However, if we are serious about achieving national unity, we must confront these state
challenges head on and refuse to back down. We must accept that if USA Cricket cannot
compel a few academies to work together for the benefit of cricket in their own state, then
the dream of national unity is, in fact, a ridiculous fantasy. On the other hand, once we get
cricket stakeholders working together for the betterment of the game in their state, once we
engage national critics in the work of changing things in their communities, once we activate
the great available, yet unavailed of, human resource in our midst, we will finally be on the
path to national unification.
Often the loudest voices are those who contribute the least, either by lack of opportunity, or
by choice. With state associations, we will engage the willing and identify the unwilling. And
then we will unify cricket in America.
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2. Framework
The USA Cricket constitution lays out it’s domestic administrative structures as follows:
● Zones. The United States will be divided into the six (6) geographic Zones set out in
Exhibit B for the purpose of effective administration, and the CEO will be responsible
for the consistent and coordinated operation of the Zones.
● Conferences. Two (2) Zones will be combined to create a Conference, resulting in a
total of three (3) Conferences as set out in Exhibit B.
● Non-Members. Zones and Conferences are administrative entities within USA Cricket
and shall not be considered Organizational Members of USA Cricket.
State Youth Associations would create an intermediate level of administration and player
pathway that will cover the gap between the private clubs/academies and USA Cricket
Zones. This is a critical component of the national domestic system because participation
growth and early player development functions are driven by activities at the grassroots.
Grassroots organizations are almost exclusively staffed by volunteers who depend on local
administration to first be recruited, and then organized and supervised, and this cannot be
efficiently done above the state level. State associations are also critical in giving local
volunteers a sense of ownership and responsibility in growing cricket in their communities
and states. Through the associations, parents and enthusiasts are converted into trained
school ambassadors, coaches, umpires and administrators. All of these activities are most
efficiently managed at the local level.
State associations are also a necessary component of the national domestic structure
because zones are too large geographically, player bases will be too large numerically, travel
too inconvenient and engendering zonal loyalty problematic. Zonal staffing resources will
always be insufficient to manage all of the clubs and academies, and to administer USAC
programs and initiatives. As we succeed in growing participation, this will become even more
the case. The zonal model actually becomes more efficient, and zonal staff more effective as
the state youth association model comes online.
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As the above diagram demonstrates, our suggested administrative pathway would see State
Youth Associations being responsible for facilitating grassroots junior and youth cricket
within their states (the bottom tier of the player pathway).
then be provisionally accepted as a state association. To accomplish this, USA Cricket will
need to amend its constitution to create the membership category of State Associations.
USAC Authority Over State Associations
Should a state youth association be found to be non-compliant, USAC may provide various
remedies including but not limited to: offers to assist, meetings with administrators,
mediations, and Memorandums of Understanding. Should these be insufficient, the threat of
suspension should be enough to bring a state association into line. This leverage allows
USAC to nudge at first, and then later demand compliance, and the SA risks being cut off if it
is defiant. It is anticipated that parents of talented players will not long suffer their children
being cut off from USAC selection due to administrative incompetence.
USAC will provide such material and manpower resources for cricket development as it can
at any given time, including mentorship, training, best practices, sharing of information, etc.
While no specific support commitment is made, however, in most highly-developed full
member nations, the NGB provides financial support both directly and by funding programs,
and it is envisioned that one day USAC would do the same.
SAs are expected to promote cricket participation growth in the state, to operate a state
championship competition and to administer state teams. SAs are expected to operate
transparently and to comply with all USAC membership obligations and administrative
requests.
USAC is expected to organize zonal and national competitions for state teams, to
communicate regularly with state administrators, to respond promptly to inquiries and
requests and to support to the best of its ability the associations in their missions.
The chain of command throughout American grassroots cricket will thus be:
Clubs/academies ---> state associations ---> conference/zonal administrations ---> national
administration. This will provide a clear and smooth delineation of responsibilities and
authority that will allow for the activation of local volunteers on their own behalf, while freeing
USA Cricket from the burden of involving itself in grassroots minutiae.
State associations will rely upon their administrators and grassroots volunteers to deliver
programs and services. Zonal administrators will follow up with state administrators to ensure
that programs and initiatives are being delivered in a timely way that conforms to USAC's
expectations. This can be done by direct observation, or by electronic reporting, or both.
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National Junior & Youth Programs
USAC is in the process of designing and developing an entry level mass participation
program due to be rolled out in 2021. They are also working on standardizing nationwide
formats for cricket at various junior and youth age-groups.
State Youth Associations would ensure these programs and formats are the standard for all
cricket played in their state so as to ensure national alignment at all age levels.
Rookie League and other entry-level school programs will be resourced by USAC,
administered by state associations and executed locally by grassroots volunteers. USAC may
provide formal Rookie League training for volunteers as it sees fit.
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8. Implementation
A state youth association should be created wherever local volunteers exist to support it.
We anticipate that this will be the case wherever serious youth cricketers are to be found,
because there won't be a place where a great player exists without a team, or a great team
exists without other teams to play. Players need teams and teams need competitors.
Very large states may offer challenges due to the sheer number of volunteers and
organizations involved, and the task may be more complicated, but there are no
insurmountable obstacles envisioned. Conversely, in sparsely populated states, finding
committed volunteers will be a challenge and may initially require more zonal support.
It is imperative that state associations exist in all places where youth cricketers exist; it is
not possible to have a functioning intermediate level that allows alternate pathways
around itself. This will create dysfunction and ultimately the failure of the system.
Therefore, to encourage states to organize, USA Cricket will offer opportunities and extra
benefits to those states who have reached certain milestones by May 1, 2021. The final cut
off date for a state to have organized in order for its players to remain eligible for national
selection is to be May 1, 2022.
To facilitate the mass adoption of this model we suggest a staged rollout as follows...
8A: Staged Rollout
Phase 1 (By May 1, 2021)
The initial rollout will see a focus on those existing SYAs, states who have already indicated
an interest in starting a youth association,and a number of targeted states which are
deemed as crucial in the junior/youth cricket space. Those States are as follows…
Existing:
● Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA)
● Virginia Youth Cricket Association (VYCA)
● Wisconsin Youth Cricket Association
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To help facilitate this process around the country, and to ensure adherence to best practice
we would require an experienced National State Youth Association Coordinator to be
appointed in a part-time role.
8D: Delivery Plan & Timeline
TASK K-O 1M 3M 6M 9M 1Y
Signoff on State Youth Association Project x
9. Budget
The following is a proposed budget through the end of 2021:
To be absorbed in USAC
Zonal & National Tournament Costs Youth Tournaments budget