WICB and the U.S. Market
I agree with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Ken Gordon that the relationship being established between the board and the USACA has significant potential for expansion and development.
The United States, with its powerful baseball and basketball culture, may not seem to offer an attractive cricket bond, but things have changed with the settling of immigrant communities from Asia and the West Indies particularly.
Few may know that the first-ever international match was played at the St George's Club in New York in 1844, between Canada and the United States. England and Australia played the first Test in 1877, 33 years later. So, the United States was once a home for cricket, with Philadelphia being the "great centre" and this was where the first West Indian team toured in 1886.
The United States has drawn several of our young athletes to its bosom by offering athletic scholarships that have covered their schooling while providing them with excellent facilities for training and development.
With the wave of migrant communities putting down strong cricket foundations and now getting funding from rich corporations, the cricket community in the United States has become large and resourceful. Linkages with them will benefit not only the West Indians living there, but those here who have suffered from lack of opportunity to develop on account of scarce resources.
Certainly, scholarships to allow youths to study and play cricket would be welcomed, even as we continue to work towards developing those partnerships on home ground. That's why it is also encouraging to read that Gordon also indicated in his first year's President's Report that the workshop held under the Cricket Development Programme yielded a proposal from the University of the West Indies to "turn over the Centre of Excellence in Barbados to the WICB".
Cricket boards around the world have been entering partnerships with their universities to provide more holistic programmes and facilities. They have been able to refine natural skills and give cricketers the kind of intellectual stimulation that enables them to better study and understand their roles and responsibilities as athletes. The results are evident in higher standards of performance by teams from Australia and England, for instance. They train more efficiently, can strategise better, are physically stronger and understand their bodies' nutritional needs. They're better players for it.
Partnerships, then, are where it is at for West Indies cricket now. The ability to form strategic alliances that will enhance our own performance levels is a key to future survival. We can't rely on staging the World Cup next year to build a cricket fortune. Turning to an American market, for example, can broaden the market for cricket merchandise and related products.
I am not sure how the restructuring of the marketing committee is intended to enhance this woefully underachieving element of the board, but it can only be an improvement, specifically in relation to developing attractive West Indian merchandise.
One thing I am pleased about is the number of cricket related books being prepared for release around the World Cup. It is one of our neglected areas given the rich history of our cricket and I hope the WICB will see itself taking a frontline role in marketing and distributing these books in alliance with the publishers.
The team continues to torment and tantalise us with up and down performances. We've become too cynical to really enjoy the ups; let's hope the WICB will take the lead with a consistent climb for a change.
* This column is republished with permission from the NATION newspaper in Barbados where it first appeared.