'We've Moved from Survival Mode'
Fri, Oct 20, '06
(President, West Indies Cricket Board)
It was a little more than one year ago that I accepted the invitation to become President of the West Indies Cricket Board. These twelve months have been a highly instructive experience. If not exactly enjoyable, I am pleased to say it has been a rewarding experience -- unfortunately not financially -- but candidly in a much deeper sense. You have provided me with the opportunity to serve the cause of West Indies cricket and the people of the Caribbean. And both are very dear to me.
If in doing so, my methods have been different and I have offended anyone along the way, I ask such persons to believe that this has not been intentional but only in the pursuit of a wider objective.
So let me begin my report on these past 12 months by thanking you for the opportunity to serve. It is fortunate that this period coincides with the end of the financial year for my report can be submitted within the context of our overall financial performance.
This has been a year of strong progress for the WICB and while much remains to be done we can be encouraged by what has been achieved during this period. We have held some 4 meetings and 3 teleconferences of the Board and one meeting and 18 teleconferences of the Executive so that the Executive Committee has held some 23 consultations during this period.
We identified from the outset that credibility was a problem and determined to confront this by placing a new emphasis on transparency and communication.
The Lucky Report
Our first task was to address the raging controversy which was taking place over the systematic leaking of the Lucky Report. This document was useful because it highlighted errors and weaknesses in the organization but it also did much damage because a number of distorted criticisms were leaked to the media before the report could be addressed by the Board. We decided to address the document comprehensively and analyzed every criticism and recommendation, pointing out inaccuracies where they occurred and accepting and addressing valid criticisms which were made. We also accepted the recommendations of the Report and they have all since been implemented.
Objectives:
Then we established a number of objectives which would guide our programme to December 31, 2005 and announced these publicly. We wanted everyone to know where we were headed so they could better assess our success or failure. The tasks we set ourselves were:
1. Responding to the findings of the Lucky Report
2. Resolving the impasse with the Players
3. Developing a plan to address the WICB deficit and financial recovery
4. Getting the best WI team to Australia
5. Meeting all Caricom Heads of Governments to brief them on our plans to go forward and winning their support
6. Wining support for the concept of retainer contracts.
By the end of December these were all implemented.
Restructuring of the Board:
This long outstanding exercise was finalized and provision now exists for the addition of 4 additional Directors. We have in fact appointed 3 new Directors and these persons are Sir Alister Mc Intyre, Dr. Grenville Phillips and Mr. Clive Lloyd. I take this opportunity to thank these 3 gentlemen for the considerable contribution they have made in their short period of membership on the Board.
Restructuring of the WICB Secretariat:
That exercise too has been completed and I am pleased to announce that the appointment of our new CEO was ratified by our Board earlier today. We expect to make a public announcement within the next 10 days.
The other changes were to integrate the role of the Communications Officer with that of the new position of Corporate Secretary and Mr. Tony Deyal fills both positions as Corporate Services Manager.
We have also restructured the Marketing Department into a Commercial and Sales Department which is now actively engaged in the business of selling the many products available within our organization. The restructuring is now complete, but there were lengthy periods when the CFO virtually carried the administrative function single handedly. I would like to publicly thank Barry Thomas for his dedication and outstanding service.
Cricket Committee:
We now have a revitalized Cricket Committee under the widely respected leadership of Clive Lloyd and increasingly, they play the role of being the principal advisors on all matters related to West Indies cricket.
The other members of that committee are Deryck Murray, Andy Roberts, Desmond Haynes and Ian Bishop -- all former outstanding West Indies players. Michael Holding recently resigned from the Committee and we thank them all for their services.
The Future Tours Programme:
We knew we were hurting from the Future Tours Programme, but it was only when we undertook an exercise to quantify the extent, that we realized that we had lost some USD$8M in revenue in the 4 years since its introduction. Indeed the ICC themselves were greatly surprised when this information was collated and the case put to them. It is to their credit that they immediately responded to our representations.
A committee has been appointed to review the damage done to countries like ours by this programme and to consider ways by which there can be more equitable arrangements for sharing revenues. We are represented on this committee by a former President of the WICB, Mr. Pat Rousseau.
Cricket Development Programme/ Workshop:
This programme which has been authored by Coach Bennett King and Manager Tony Howard was drawn up after a full consultative process with the cricketing boards. A workshop was held to review the recommendations of the Board on September 4th and the specific recommendations come before our Board meeting which will be held tomorrow.
Thereafter, implementation will be the responsibility of a small team which will work together with the Cricket Committee. Also emerging from our workshop was a proposal from the University of the West Indies to turn over the Centre of Excellence in Barbados to the WICB. Again, it is intended that a small planning team will work exclusively on this.
Special Relationship with BCCI:
Recognizing the natural affinity between the BCCI and the WICB, we negotiated a special relationship between our two organizations. This has already led to the Tri Nation series in Malaysia at which we qualified for the final with Australia, which country won that series.
Additional events are planned for next year, but certain difficulties have arisen which we hope will be successfully addressed at the forthcoming meeting of the ICC to be held in November in India.
MOU City of Lauderhill
We have negotiated a special MOU with the City of Lauderhill. This gives us the exclusive right to arrange games at their new USD$85M stadium now under construction. We have also made a commitment to organize the events which will launch the opening of that stadium.
Similarly, we have strengthened our relationship with USACA and CCA which region comes under the WICB as the full member for the hemisphere. We will increasingly include these teams in Caribbean fixtures and work to building wider participation in Cricket throughout North America. This is a most promising development with significant potential for expansion.
New dispensation in our relationship with the Players:
The Collective Bargaining Agreement; The Memorandum of Understanding and the Code of Ethics which have all been outstanding and have been in negotiations over the past 2 years have now been signed.
The one agreement which remained to be signed off was that which covered the players' retainer contracts. This we expect to have finalized during the course of this meeting. These documents cover most eventualities and should go a long way toward eliminating public conflicts and irreconcilable differences. There is a new spirit in the relationship with our players and we publicly congratulate and thank WIPA for the excellent cooperation which has been forthcoming in recent times.
I am very pleased that Mr. Ramnarine has been able to join us this evening and look forward to working even more closely with him. Now our horizons will be on new initiatives which will build West Indies cricket. I feel certain that he will be as powerful an ally in the building phase of our relationship as he was an adversary across the Bargaining table.
Retainer Contracts:
These agreements have been long in coming. Some historical documents show that retainer contracts have been discussed from as far back as 10 years ago. We are indeed one of the last of the major cricketing countries to take this important step. We feel certain it will go a long way towards building professionalism amongst our players, and look forward to what we hope will be a new dawn for West Indies cricket.
Performance on the field:
We played 7 tests during the period January to October 2006 of which we drew 4 and lost 3. During the preceding 10 month period we played 11 tests, we lost 10 and won 1.
As far as One Day internationals are concerned we played 24 during January to October 2006; won 14, drew 2 and lost 8. In the previous 10 months we played 18; won 4; drew 1 and lost 13.
So our performance in the ODIs is positively encouraging. But it was made apparent in the Tri Nation final against Australia and more recently against Sri Lanka that we still have a considerable amount of work to do particularly in the middle order.
Fortunately a new spirit appears to have emerged and we continue to be optimistic that we will build on recent gains. But there is no short cut on the way back to the top which is not a road for the faint hearted who will be lost along the way. Our task is to continue to put the building blocks in place.
Financial Performance:
At the beginning of our financial year we had an operating deficit of USD$6.6M from the previous 12 months. Our consolidated deficit when we discounted the World Cup activities was USD$15M and sources for the funding required to keep us in operation had virtually dried up. The issue which confronted us was not profit or loss. But survival. Very bitter medicine was required and we took it.
In fact, we all owe an important debt of thanks to the Enoch Lewis, Gregory Georges and Avondale Thomas Finance sub committee which was given the task of examining each line item and on the basis of zero budgeting eliminate variable expenses wherever this was possible. They did an excellent job in reducing projected costs by more than some USD$3M.
That set the stage for the results which we expect to be confirmed by our Auditors. We now expect that as at the end of our financial year in September we would not only have eliminated our USD$6.6.M loss of the previous year but made a small profit. Today, though we continue to have strains on our cash flow, we have moved from the survival mode to the point where we must plan to address the consolidated deficit of USD$15M even as we address the all important issue of development.
Unfortunately we have suffered a major set back in our plans to generate revenue through the establishing of a Caribbean-wide lottery . The recent decision of the Trinidad and Tobago government to phase out such games has been a great disappointment, for considerable time and effort have gone into developing this Lottery. The project is now being reevaluated. Meanwhile, we have submitted an alternative proposal to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago which could have the effect of making up the portion of revenues that would be lost by that country's non participation in the lottery.
I am pleased to advise that almost simultaneously with receiving the news yesterday from my wife on the telephone that we had defeated Australia ? for I was locked away at the office preparing this report ? I received a call from PM Manning who told me that I was free to say to you this evening that he agrees in principle with our proposal and will be so advising other Heads of Caricom.
The World Cup:
Now a word about what is almost certainly the biggest international event ever hosted in the Caribbean. The planning for the World Cup preceded our administration. Teddy Griffith and his team must be congratulated on the structure which has been put in place. Plans are well in hand and are proceeding admirably. Problems abound but I am pleased to tell you that the situation is being well managed and that the prospects for a successful event are most promising.
Permit me therefore to summarize. After little more than 12 months we have achieved the stated objectives which were set. We have taken the first step toward restructuring our Board; We have remodeled our Marketing Department with a Sales Department and restructured our Secretariat; appointed a Cricket Committee of former international players as principal advisors to the Board on Cricket matters; persuaded the ICC to review the Future Tours programme; Prepared a development programme for cricket and held a successful workshop to assist in implementation; entered into special relationships with BCCI, City of Lauderhill, USACA of the United States and CCA of Canada. We have also completed all outstanding matters with WIPA the representative players organization and have this evening culminated the long discussed signing of retainer contracts.
But perhaps most significantly we have eliminated our operational losses and placed our organization on an even footing as we now seek to address our accumulated deficit of USD$15M and development.
Our victory against Australia as one of the qualifying teams in the Champions Trophy could not have been better timed. This signals that our progress has been both on and off the field.
When 12 months ago we issued a call for all cricket lovers of the Caribbean to mobilize support behind our team to win the World Cup, many were derisive. Today that dream is not as far fetched as it once appeared.
This evening I repeat that appeal. The signs of change are now around us. We must seize the moment to bury the past, ignite the future and go forward with a Collective agenda to rebuild that which we lost along the way. Our team is speaking to us. Let us close ranks behind them and give West Indies cricket the support it needs.
* This address was given at a dinner following the WICB's board of directors meeting in Antigua on October 19, 2006.