Caledonia Cricket Association (CCA)

Paper for Consideration at ACA AGM 24 November 2013

Proposal

To establish an Association for the third “Cricket Region” in Scotland with the aim of assuming from Cricket Scotland (CS) devolved Governing Body responsibility for supporting and developing local and domestic cricket in the north of the country. This will bring the “North” into line with the East and West Regional Associations, and enable the Caledonia region to work closely with Cricket Scotland (CS) to implement its policy of devolving certain responsibilities, including financial and other support, down to the regional level, while recognising that the North has distinct geographical issues. These mean that the templates of the other two Regions cannot be replicated exactly.

Background

Cricket Scotland believes that the most appropriate way to develop and grow the game is to have strong national leadership and a proactive developmental strategy to drive the game forward. This should however be managed and controlled locally against agreed national outcomes.

Cricket Scotland’s proposal is meant to be structured enough to ensure appropriate reporting and governance measures are in place, but flexible enough to take into account specific local needs. They consider it vital that the CCA has autonomy to deliver against agreed outcomes.

As part of the agreement with CS, CCA would commit to:

 Have in place appropriate governance and regulatory procedures to manage and promote the game within the CCA area

 Ensure all CCA clubs and their members are affiliated to Cricket Scotland without additional fee.

 Meet with Cricket Scotland as required to review progress against targets agreed between CS and the Association

 Work proactively with Cricket Scotland and the other regional associations to develop and grow the game in all areas

Areas Included within the Agreement

 Management through its affiliated leagues of Saturday league cricket for clubs currently playing in the region

 Management of the Regional academy structures for the Caledonian Highlanders, including the senior Caledonian Highlanders district side.

 Management of the development programme in conjunction with the CS Head of Participation. The development managers will remain employed by CS, but will be directly responsible to the CCA Committee.

 Delivery of the education programmes for both players and officials in the CCA area in partnership with CS

 Management of relationship with Local authorities in the CCA area. [For the Grades, this might include as an example assuming responsibility for the funding provided by CS in 2013 for the second square at the Duthie Park.]  Agreeing host venues for representative games in the CCA area

 Employment of a CCA administrator if considered appropriate

Objectives for CCA

To include all the league playing cricket clubs in the region in a democratically accountable body that is affiliated to Cricket Scotland and will work directly with them to develop the game, improve standards and increase participation in cricket.

To provide an agreed pathway for ambitious clubs within the Region to move up to a higher competitive level based on their performance [Currently this is by clubs making individual application to join the Strathmore Union, but such moves are not automatically recognised by consequent adjustments in the Grades, nor is any reverse process allowed for.]. At the same time recognise the existing league bodies and their wish to run their own leagues independently and with their own rules.

Membership of the Association and Finance

All clubs in the region which are currently voting members of the ACA, NOSCA or SPCU would automatically be full members of the Caledonia Cricket Association, and thereby in turn of Cricket Scotland, through membership of their existing league organisation. Membership will also be available to any other cricket organisation or association not covered by the existing league organisations, such as University clubs, or the Aberdeen Evening League.

Fees currently paid to the affiliated leagues by clubs will be retained by those leagues, and any financial contribution to the CCA will be between the league organisation itself and not directly from the clubs. The league fees may vary widely dependant on the circumstances and level of support provided to clubs and this will not be affected by membership of CCA.

Office Bearers & Management Committee

Recognising that many clubs may be reluctant to commit time to attendance at further formal meetings, the office bearers of the League would be elected annually by postal ballot, each member Club having one vote, and will consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.

The Management Committee will also be elected annually on the same basis and will consist of the four office bearers plus three other members. The affiliated league bodies (NOSCA, Aberdeen Grades and S&PCU) will also appoint one person each onto the Management Committee.

General Meetings would be convened as necessary, including on the requisition of a stated proportion of member clubs.

Reports and Accounts will be submitted to the AGMs of each of the affiliated leagues, with Office bearers of the CCA attending these as required.

Summary of Detailed Responsibilities

In agreement with CS the Association will assume that body’s responsibility for all aspects of cricket in the region including –

Domestic Cricket

Through its constituent leagues, the CCA will control all domestic cricket played within the CCA region. Discussion will need to take place with CS and other regions in regard to all national competitions at senior and junior level.

Discipline CS will continue to run disciplinary procedures for national competitions and act as an appeal mechanism for regional competitions. CCA would be in charge of disciplinary procedures within their domain. This could include if agreed exercising an appellate jurisdiction from the disciplinary decisions of affiliated leagues, where these are made on legal grounds.

Participation CS will employ the regional participation manager as at present and will commit to fund this post indefinitely. The manager’s work programmes will be agreed with the CCA and he will be fully integrated within the CCA’s structure. Any new appointment made to this position will be done jointly by CS and CCA.

All education programmes, for both players and officials, will be agreed between CS and the CCA. The delivery of these will be the responsibility of the participation manager.

All investment made in participatory programmes such as summer squad will be agreed jointly by the CCA and CS. These can either be paid centrally from CS or through the CCA.

Communications

CS and CCA agree to share all information in relation to membership. CS will work with the clubs and CCA to gain up to date and accurate membership figures for the clubs and where possible e mail address databases for club members.

Regional Academy structures

The Cricket Scotland Academy structures will continue to run as at present. CS and the CCA will work closely in the co-ordination of the programmes and fixture scheduling

Senior Representative Cricket – Caledonian Highlanders

The Caledonian Highlanders, a new team distinct from the Highlanders Pro team, will be the senior representative side run by CCA. Their fixture list and programme will be determined by the CCA. It is anticipated that this side will play against similar sides from the east and west of the country – likely named Eastern Knights and Western Warriors mirroring the Under 15 and Under 18 representative teams already playing against each other in inter-regional competitions – as well as other touring teams as appropriate.

The Highlanders Pro team

CS will run the Highlanders Pro team. Close dialogue between CS staff/Highlanders management and the CCA will be in place to ensure a structured pathway for players throughout the CCA region, as well as ground allocation for the matches

International Cricket

CS will allocate international fixtures in the CCA region after consultation with the CCA. This will include all age group, women, Pro Series and national fixtures as well as the potential matches in the 2015 ICC T20 qualifying event.

Staffing

CS will, if agreed with the CCA, fund a cricket administrator to run the day to day operations of the CCA. This person will be directly responsible to the CCA and will be based in the Caledonia region.

Finance

CS will agree a financial package with the CCA in November of each preceding year of the partnership. This package might include some or all of the following elements:

 Domestic cricket: A ‘management’ fee to run league and cup competitions in the CCA area.  Participation programmes: CS currently invests into summer squad coaches and coach education/umpiring subsidies. Such investments, where they apply to the CCA area, could be channelled through the CCA if appropriate.

 Regional Academy: CS currently supports the regional academy and development centre, and Caledonia Under 15 and Under 18 teams.

 Caledonian Highlanders: CS will contribute to run the senior team

 Staffing: CS will contribute to have a staff member in place to run the CCA administrative affairs.

 All CS membership fees currently gathered from leagues in respect of CCA clubs will be paid to CCA.

 CS and CCA can agree to tailor the total of the investment made each year so it meets the needs of the CCA – CS will adopt a very flexible approach to this to ensure that local targets are met against the overall CS strategic plan.

Management of Relationship

 CS and CCA will meet quarterly or as required to discuss progress against the agreed targets for the year and the progress against these.

 A formal financial reporting mechanism will need to be agreed to ensure all CS investment is accounted for appropriately. This will include, but not be limited to, sight of the CCA’s audited financial statements and, if requested, quarterly financial reporting.

Benefits of Affiliation

By agreeing to affiliate to the proposed CCA, and specifically by block affiliating ACA clubs to CS, the Grades effectively becomes a CS-endorsed, rather than an unsupported league, benefits of which might include, but not be limited to, the following: eligibility to access funding from the Cricket Development Trust Scotland, eligibility of clubs' junior teams to enter national cup competitions, eligibility of clubs to benefit from CS development staff, eligibility of members of clubs to access coach education, the ability of clubs to gain CS endorsement for grant funding applications, summer squad coaches, Lord's Taverners funding and the like, and the ability of clubs' junior players to participate in CS's player development pathway programmes. These show clearly the benefits of regional associations and the national governing body working in partnership. A specific example of the potential support available from CS has in 2013 been its 50% funding of the second square in the Duthie Park, from which the 4 teams based there specifically, and the Association more generally, has clearly benefitted.

The Management Committee therefore PROPOSES that the Association should give its support in principle to formation of the proposed new Association, and affiliation to it with a final vote being taken at the Spring Meeting in February 2014.

Robin Taylor (President), Phil Gill (Vice-President), David Jones (Secretary), Ian Stephen (Treasurer).