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This is the Question , that WE must ask
Ourselves , because despite all the Public utterances of the WICBC , regarding being Financially solvent ,
it still has an inability to get Financial Sponsors .

This aint a trifling matter , in my opinion , it is at the heart of what is
Wrong with Cricket in the Region .

POINTLESS POINT is ready to strike back!

In reply to POINT

Get rid of Cameron.

I might have to take that back because the sponsors were lost before his administration took over.

In reply to Drapsey

It aint Cameron alone who must go , ALL
the Others must also go , and take their 89 years old Structure with them .

They aint going to have any comfort if the International Cricket Cabal , decides to have a two tier System in Test Cricket .

In reply to POINT

present themselves better. They have no idea what is a product. Coverage is part of a product. They need to visits schools and corporations and give away free tickets. They don't promote their games enough. Look at the coverage; who is going to sponsor that. Imagine in 1979 the tv coverage of local cricket was better than it is now. To be the sole owner of cricket in the region and lose media value is shocking.

In reply to Drapsey

Yes You are correct , the Regional Tournaments at one time all had Sponsors ; but they abruptly left .

WE may never know why the Sponsors decided to stop being Sponsors . It would have been nice if the Sports
Journalists in the Region asked the
Former Sponsors why they decided to stop being Sponsors . Unfortunately
that never happened .

In reply to methodic

I totally agree with what You have stated . Unfortunately in my opinion ,
the WICBC is possibly hamstrung , in its ability to get Financial Sponsors .

I recall that in this very Forum ,
some stated in one of my Post that
the WICBC is all tied up with its Major Sponsor , and that precludes the idea or thought of the WICBC
having other Sponsors .

Now I have no idea whether this is
True or False , what I do believe
however , is that if this is true
then it amply demonstrates that the
People in the WICBC have very Poor
Business Acumen .

Obviously if it is false , it means
that the People in the WICBC have not
done any Soul Searching regarding its
inability to get Financial Sponsors .
This also reflects on their Poor Business Acumen .

Get rid of the current administration!

Sponsors are looking for a good product to invest their money or support. The current product is poor due to the years of neglect and mismanagement by the WICB. Things have to turn around by getting rid of the administration with the correct personnel to administer a strong plan with a vision to promote, develop and improve all aspects and levels of the game. This is what is going to attract the interest of the private sector.

This is not something that will happen over night, however, it is the foundation that is needed to build a strong and attractive product.

In reply to azadtnt
Don't you need a product, with Stars attached to it?

In reply to methodic

Exactly, they don't know how to market their product
and attach value to said product
to me it seems like the go in a meeting with a sponsor with x figure, if they don't get that figure they rather not have a sponsor than try to negotiate.
look the U19 was playing WC with an old kit/ not Joomla but the former HPC playing kit.
The ladies are in SA playing in the Joomla kit but no sponsor name
I mean come on can't they approach a sponsor tell them they will get some mileage
especially like how SA is coming here in a few months a company here could of gotten their name on the shirts for a small fee and get some mileage
Something is better than nothing and then you go from there
SA and Aus hav different shirt sponsors for each their formats (t20, ODI and Tests)
why can't we, it has less to do with winning and losing and more to do with how the team is marketed
Their needs to be someone proficient enough with the understanding of how to effectively sell the WI Cricket brand to prospective sponsors.

In reply to POINT

Television is the major money earner of any sport today. WICB marketing arm must wake up and get the sports on tv. Start by producing 45 mins of daily highlights for distribution to regional tv stations, I am sure they can find a sponsor for that.

You have to start somewhere.

The Key , in my opinion , is the
PRODUCT . Is it attractive , so that
it is easily marketable to potential
Sponsors ??

As I have stated in this Forum on many occasions ; Sponsors love WINNERS ,
and they love associating their Brand or Product with WINNERS .

So now , that being the case , Can a
case be made that the WICBC has done
what needs to be done to make Our
Players , who are its Product attractive to potential Sponsors ???

There is however another Key to attracting Financial Sponsors , what
in Your opinion is that Key ???

In reply to rubberd

I totally agree with your suggestion ,
Unfortunately , things like that aint on their Agenda .

Their only focus , particularly these days is to ensure that their Power is
never ever diluted . This is precisely why they have ignored the salient features of all the Reports that they have commissioned .

They believe that taking on board the salient features of those Reports would curtail the Power they currently enjoy ; and that must never happen . The current 1927 Structure
they believe is adequate .

In reply to azadtnt

I hear You , and I agree with what you
have stated . I find it unsettling
that many in this Post fully understand
what the Problem is , and have offered Solutions .

But it seems the People in the WICBC ,
perhaps due to their Lofty perch & positions are unable to do what has been suggested here .

In reply to POINT

SIMPLE:

TALK DE TRUTH

In reply to POINT

Russell just got a endorsement deal with Nissan.

Tell me why say Toyota that is sold throughout the region cannot be a sponsor in the West Indies, several options, perimeter boards, man of the series, there is room on the one day kits. The possibilities are endless, all the other test playing nations have multiple deals, are our administrators so corrupt that sponsors are not attracted to the product.

In reply to positiveg

Look at NBA, NFL, MLS or any american sports, they are about partnerships with sponsors, media, state governments(own the stadiums) player unions and the fans. They all do their part to grow the sport and everyone benefits. WICB wants to operate in the "my way or the highway" environment, clearly not sustainable.

And don't forget charity, the organisation and players must been seen to be giving back, outreach programs to schools, hospitals etc is a no brainier.

In reply to openning

Bingo
admin is second to the product in attracting sponsors...a marketable product in this instance a winning team, no one is paying to watch West Indies play now and it won't happen until we start winning again

In reply to hawk

The local sponsor that they had, held the competition in their Island.
Both Carib and Red Stripes games were played in T&T and Jamaica.
T20 will attract sponsors, thats why Hero is involve with the CPL
I always think of the four marketing P's from the little courses I took

In reply to rubberd

Agreede the possibility are endless and I agree with you point on Toyota they are probably the #1 vehicle manufacturer in the region I'm sure they wouldn't mind plus when the team tours Toytoa as a brand is sold worldwide
KFC, any one of these
I worked along with the SKN Patriots last season on Marketing and some sponsorships. We were able to garner sponsosrhsip for what one would terma relative new product (being the Patriots team) and all that was because we made the sponsors see the benefits of advertising. You have to sell the product
West Indies cricet is a brand. Look how much money will be spending come from June to August this year, you want to say them man can't sell the significance of that?

In reply to hawk

The essential thing in my opinion is
this :

THE PRODUCT IS OUR PLAYERS ; THE ONUS

THEREFORE IS ON THE WICBC TO DEVELOP

OUR PLAYERS TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL .

ONCE THAT IS DONE ; MOST IF NOT ALL

OF OUR PLAYERS WILL BE STARS .

However that has not been done by
the People in the WICBC . It is
worthwhile revisiting West Indies
Cricket , and carefully examine why and how Our Players became the Best
Players in the World , and ushered in the Golden Eras of West Indies Cricket .

The first thing that WE ALL must acknowledge is that the WICBC had
very little to do with the Greatness
of West Indies Cricket .

It had to do with the fact that Our
Players in those Eras were FULL TIME CRICKETERS ; who when not representing the Region were plying their trade Overseas . Obviously this meant that when representing the Region they were extremely physically
Fit ; their Concentration superb ; and their Cricket Skills finely honed
because they were playing Cricket nearly everyday .

The above was augmented by the fact
that Touring Teams when playing say in England played matches prior to the Test Matches ; and between the Test Matches . This was all due to the Tour Schedule in those Eras .

To be Continued .

In reply to POINT

1. Allow for the 11th batsman to bat by himself. Call it "Last Man Standing". He has to run 2s or can hit 4s and 6s. A dot ball or single will result in a run out.

2. Cheerleaders. Lots of Cheerleaders.

3. Halftime show.

4. More Cheerleaders. Get bravos to recruit talent.

5. Colourful bats with catchy colours. Gayle Green.

6. Cheerleaders.

Continuation .

It was in the Mid 1980's that Cricket
in the Region started a very slow but Steady decline . Due to two significant
Factors .

First England decided to limit the
Number of Overseas Players playing Cricket in England . Well there was
no Regional Cricket League in the
West Indies ; and since the WICBC had
nothing to do with the Golden Eras of West Indies Cricket , it did Nothing perhaps that was possibly due to
the Shortsightedness of the WICBC .

It failed to understand & realize that by doing nothing to keep all the skills of our Players finely honed ,
those skills , over time will get dull .

The next significant Factor is that
the Powers that be in International Cricket , decided to change the
International Tour Schedule , so that
all the matches played before & between the International Matches were banished .

It was these many matches that were
very helpful in honing the Skills of
our Players who had no Cricket League
available to them until 3 years ago .

In essence to use an American phrase ,Our Players were hit by a Double Whammy , first England limited the number of Players playing Cricket in England then the International Tour
Schedule was changed .

It is only 3 years ago that it finally dawned on the WICBC , that there needed to be a Regional Cricket
League to hone the skills of Our Players .

However , the fact is that currently ,Our Players are still playing less
Cricket than their Counterparts on
International Cricket Teams .

This is precisely why I have
continuously advocated in this Forum for Camps , with Coaches in attendance , having a duration of more than 1 week . Also that there
must be more than 1 warm up Match ,
so that our Players can get acclimatized to both the Weather &
condition of the Pitches .

Interestingly , The WICBC had a proper Camp for our U-19 Team ; and
the Players played 3 Warm up Matches . The results of doing these two things speak for themselves .

In my opinion , that is the template
that the WICBC needs to follow with
all our Teams .

In reply to openning

if u had the resources would u sponsor this present wi team

In reply to tc1

If Gayle, Bravo, Narine and others were playing and a better structure was available at the WICB, I would.
The same people that come out around the world to see these guys play T20, will come out if they are playing test and ODI.

It should therefore be obvious except
to those mentally impaired , that in
order to attract Sponsors , Your product must be saleable , in ALL versions of the game .

The onus therefore is on the people
in the WICBC to do what needs to be
done so that our Players start climbing the ladder to the top of International Cricket .

Evidently , the people in the WICBC
seem blithely unaware of the fact that as our Players & Team start getting towards the Top , the more marketable they become .

This aint Rocket Science , it is a very simple formula :

TO MAKE MONEY,YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY

Unfortunately this fact is lost on the people in the WICBC , who seem oblivious to the Rich History of West Indies Cricket . They are much more
focused & concerned with having their 89 years old Structure remain unchanged .

In reply to POINT

Slow down dude, you should hide your ignorance
Hero is the sponsor of the CPL, please understand that.
BTW, Hero is also the sponsor of the Tiger Woods tournament, just some info for you
Now, carry on.

In reply to openning

if i had the resources and u mentioned only those 3 players i would not, corporate is looking for a investment.
u need more than 3 marque players

In reply to tc1
Growing up in bim, I enjoyed seeing the top regional and International players.
We dont see them any more.
That one of the problem that is not getting sponsors to buy the product.
Would you put money into seeing Kraigg and company play cricket at the highest level?

The point I am making is still very , very valid which is that Unless Our
Players are competitive in the International Cricket Arena , Sponsors
are unlikely to get on board .

I stated Sponsors , so Hero is the
Sponsor of the CPL , and there is
Digicel . In my opinion that aint enough to make our Players very competitive .Money has to be spent to make them fully competitive , especially in the longer versions of the game .

I have no doubt that if money is spent to make our Players very competitive , by employing all available methods ; the money spent doing that will easily be recouped .

This is basic Stuff , not Rocket Science , and One does not have to go to a Business School , to realize this .

In the Golden Eras of West Indies Cricket , it was not about Sponsors ,
our Team was head & shoulders above other Teams because the Players were employed playing a lot of Cricket , in the Region & Overseas .

In addition their skills were finely honed by the many matches they played when on Tour due to the International
Tour Schedule at the time .

But as I stated , here & elsewhere all that came to a crashing halt in the mid 1980's . with the limitation of Players playing Cricket in England & the change of the International Tour Schedule .

The fact that at the height of our
Players & Teams Supremacy in International Cricket , the people in the WICBC , were asleep , if they were awake they would have realized that having a Regional League would be beneficial to the Region .

Obviously at that juncture Sponsors would have been breaking down the door to be Sponsors . Sadly they did
not do one blasted thing ; until 3 years ago it dawned on them to have a Regional Cricket League , when Cricket in the Region is in Tatters .
Their timing is off by decades .