Sport
13 April, 2023
South West Cricket looks ahead
SOUTH West Cricket Association (SWC) is looking to the future, with all 12 clubs attending a forum earlier this week.
SOUTH West Cricket Association (SWC) is looking to the future, with all 12 clubs attending a forum earlier this week.
The meeting, held on Monday night, was scheduled to plan for the next few years in order to keep the local competition at its peak – and to make improvements where required.
After a brief introduction by president Kym Mathew, club representatives brainstormed SWC’s current strengths before identifying areas for possible review.
Top of the list of positives was the competition’s strength in numbers, with 40 senior and junior teams playing locally in close proximity to each other which made access to competitive cricket relatively easy for all who wanted to participate.
The ownership aspect, with all member clubs in the position to be involved in the decision-making processes, was also highlighted.
As the constitution stands, the association executive is elected to deal with the day-to-day running of the organisation but it is the actual club delegates who make up the association’s committee.
The strong financial situation of SWC and its clubs generally gives the competition both status and security.
This has been made possible by the ongoing support of sponsors and members at all levels.
The fact that the association is able to send junior squads to regional under 17, under 15 and under 13 country weeks, as well as a senior team to Melbourne country week is a wonderful feat, providing opportunities that are not necessarily available (to so many) in all other country associations.
Elements identified as benefiting from review include rules around calling off matches due to rain, finals eligibility and the structure of junior (and senior) competitions.
It was agreed these types of issues need to be checked on a yearly basis and that SWC had the capacity and the flexibility to reach consensus on them.
Communication is always a concern that challenges many associations; not only between the executive and clubs but also with the association and club communities.
Ways to facilitate better communication and to better promote cricket to families and the wider community will be examined in the months ahead.
Overall, the club representatives felt SWC was in a relatively solid position to move into season 2023-24.
Hopefully, much of the subject matter discussed at the forum will be taken on board by clubs so that they can play a constructive role in shoring up the competitions.
It is planned that an executive member will visit all clubs in the next few weeks to have informal chats about their respective situations and short-term plans, another innovative step by the association.
Interesting news shared by the Noorat and Terang clubs was that they are having merger talks.
Given the combined facilities and personnel at their disposal, this would be an exciting development for both the clubs and the association.