CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 MEMORANDUM To All Stakeholders Cc From Queensland Cricket Subject Clarifying and communicating the pathway for junior cricketers in Queensland Date 7th September 2015 Queensland Cricket Talent Pathway Purpose The purpose of this memo is to provide clarity and context about proposed changes to the pathway for junior cricketers in Queensland. Background In July 2013 Cricket Australia (CA) and Queensland Cricket (QC) commenced a process to develop ‘right sized’ game and market development operations for Queensland. This included remodelling of management roles, personnel and the team structure. As part of the restructure, QC in conjunction with CA put together a proposal and has successfully secured additional funding over three years for game and market development operations, including talent. The proposal considered the structure, approach, targets, outcomes, systems and tools, programs, people and ultimately, the required budgets to achieve it. Implementation of the three year funding approval commenced in July 2014, with the initial ‘transitional phase’ completed in October 2014. Cricket has continued to grow in popularity and as such, saw substantial growth in Queensland for the 2014/15 season. From a talent pathway perspective, there is now a settled team with the appointments of both High Performance and Game Development General Managers complete, as well as three Talent Officers ready to deliver outcomes. A new role of Talent Development & Pathways Manager has been created to oversee talent from top to bottom which now sits in the High Performance Department. QC is now strong to restructure, align and CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 improve the talent pathway to further enhance the journey for talented players, ultimately increasing the number of contracted Australian players from Queensland. In 2012, Queensland made up 20.1% of the national population. Despite this, only 16% of contracted State players were from Queensland, with only 13% of the previous 10 years of Australian Test players originating from the state. Currently it is 5% on the back of one player who has now retired. By 2061, it is expected that the population of Queensland will increase to make up 22.3% of the national population, closing the gap significantly on the most populated states (NSW 27.6% and Victoria 24.8%). As a result of the recent National Player Pathway review, Queensland’s population growth will see further opportunity to expand extra teams from Queensland to National Carnivals in future years, following suit with NSW and Victoria. In providing an appropriate pathway for its players, Queensland also faces unique challenges due to our disperse population. Queensland currently has only 48% of its population based in the capital Brisbane, compared to Western Australia with 78% in Perth, South Australia with 77% in Adelaide and Victoria with 75% in Melbourne. The emergence of AFL continues to put Cricket at risk in the northern states, with more athletes being ‘lost’ at an early age to a much more highly invested professional option. In recent years the launch of the ANZ Netball Championship has also raised the profile of the leading sport for women. Soccer is also increasingly forcing the early choice of sports – as early as 12 and Queensland is a traditional breeding ground for both Rugby Union and League. It is vital that we position our pathway as the preferred option for talented sportsmen and women. Our opinion is that all of these sports have a far clearer pathway then cricket does for junior sportspeople and their parents. QC considers all of these facts in making cost effective decisions that work for Queensland. Current situation Currently, Queensland Junior Cricket (QJC), Queensland School Sports (QSS), Premier Cricket, Greater Public Schools (GPS) and Queensland Country Cricket Association (QCCA) all play roles in the pathway. The current pathway lacks clarity and is confusing for parents to navigate through. CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 The current pathway has also become extremely expensive with an estimated $1.8 Million contributed by parents across the state each year. The clutter also means it is impossible for CA and QC to provide meaningful support, both financially and physically to all events currently considered part of the pathway. What are we trying to achieve? Queensland Cricket (QC) wants to achieve the strategic goal of delivering a quality, holistic pathway that is clear, attractive, accessible and affordable. It also needs to link to the Australian Cricket Pathway and support talent ID and development. Essentially, we want to achieve the following: ñ Clarity for a parent/child on which pathway events are part of the National Pathway for cricket and link to Queensland Cricket State Teams ñ Explore avenues to remove costs and seek external funding to ensure the most cost effective outcomes possible ñ Ensure that in the transitional phase (U16), parents and children understand the pathway into Senior Cricket for talented players. (ie Premier Cricket in the metro area) ñ Be able to direct both Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket financial and physical resources towards the agreed pathway to ensure maximum impact It is important to note that QC is committed to working with ALL organisations that currently play a role in the pathway and are attempting to find a solution that allows that. In saying this, it must be recognised that this may involve some change to current operations to achieve this outcome. Season 2015/16 Two changes are proposed for the coming season: CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 1. Rebranding of existing talent development programs The purpose of this is to align to the new National Rookie Program which will become the ‘Gold Status’ of the new QC Rookie Program. This rebranding allows seamless flow through the various levels of existing coaching support. Although this is initially a rebranding of current operations, it will become a vital part of the new pathway, essentially being the home base for players between pathway events. A Coaching Director will be appointed (Most cases already in existence) with a honorarium proved by QC to assist in delivery of the bronze level programs. 2. Introduction of a 4 team competition in April as the final selection tool for the Qld U17’s for the following September. CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 This has been brought about as the National U17 Carnival has been moved to September, therefore, we need to pick the squad at the end of the season prior (U16’s). We also have a problem in Queensland where the current U16 program has multiple pathway options meaning we need to amalgamate the talent into one competition. For example, the current U17 Squad (14 Players) only had 4 play QJC the year before. The rest either played through the GPS, Premier Cricket or QSS system. This carnival has been created to ensure all the best talent is funnelled into one final competition to reaffirm the talent identified. For clarity, no other changes are proposed to the forthcoming season 2015/16 by QC. Season 2016/17 Two further changes are confirmed at this stage for Season 2016/17: 1. Clarification of the U13 and U15 pathway Queensland School Sports U13 (12 and Under) and Under 15 will be clarified as the elite pathway within Queensland. This has been the case for decades but is currently unclear to a parent. Cricket Australia have formalised an agreement with School Sports Australia that means if Queensland players are to be identified nationally, they must play in this pathway by representing their zone, then Queensland. The School Sports pathway also has an existing structure for girls as well as boys. 2. U16 Bulls Masters Country Challenge QCCA and the 8 Country Zones have signed an agreement with the Bulls Masters that will see the Country Zones go to a carnival fully funded by the Bulls Masters at U16 level. Qld Cricket has shown support for this concept as it aligns to the new April carnival and makes the pathway at U16 level, through to potential QLD U17 selection, free for Country players. Qld Country is removing their existing U17 structure to accommodate the above, recognising that the existing structure does not fit with the pathway. This alignment also provides a platform for Queensland to follow Victoria and NSW in future years of providing two teams (Metro and Country) to the National U17 Championships when performance and the growth of the talent pool dictate it. CRICKET - AUSTRALIA’S FAVO URITE SPO RT ALLAN BORDER FIELD 1 Greg Chappell Street, Breakfast Creek QLD 4010 PO Box 575, Albion QLD 4010 ABN. 71 152 487 002 Telep ho ne: (07) 3292 3100 Fax: (07) 3262 9160 Given the above facts, we anticipate the following questions.