Club Forums set for next week on proposals
Following on from yesterday’s correspondence from the NWCU outlining draft plans for next season, the Union explained some of the recommendations ahead of club forums next week.
It was clear that change was needed given the direction that things were going, and backed by the Board of Control, North West staff were encouraged to come up with proposals that would appeal right across the board.
General Manager, Peter McCartney, confirmed that changes needed to be far-reaching.
“We understand these are pretty big, ground-breaking proposals but they are designed with the main aim of supporting all our clubs as much as possible.
The new league structure proposals will help clubs in retaining their current players and attracting new players into the game. A 40-over league starting at 12pm allows for good, competitive cricket over a longer format but also recognises the need to balance social and family life.
The T20 league was a great success last season and we have taken the positives from the competition and stuck with the group formats. There is still a place for 50-over cricket though and it’s important to maintain the fantastic tradition of our Senior Cup.
We have merged the Premiership and Championship across the 3 competitions with 15 clubs. It will allow clubs to build over the next 3 years without that constant pressure of promotion and relegation and provide an opportunity to develop their young players.
For the Qualifying Leagues, we have replicated the same system but under a new Division 1, 2 and 3 structure with longer and shorter formats. The feedback we got was that the majority of players, no matter what level they play at, enjoy both formats over the season.
In terms of the player points system we wanted to create an environment in clubs and our Union that encourages clubs to develop their own players, invest in their youth system and promotes player and club loyalty. The new players points system aims to shape that.”
Union Chairman Brian Dougherty agreed and commended those involved in the process on a set of well thought out proposals.
“It is well documented that the NWCU value our clubs and player input in all of our operational and governance matters whether informally or through club forum calls. After a successful yet truncated season it was clear that we as a Union again needed to take the lead in reviewing our competition structure, building on what worked last season whilst addressing broader growing participation challenges.
We value and support innovation and creativity. As a result, as Peter outlines, we believe the proposals are ground-breaking and offer an opportunity to continue to grow the game in the North West.
In terms of the second proposal regarding the points system, my personal opinion is that it is time for all the Unions to address the issue of unrestricted player movement and any unregulated payment of players.
We have a duty to protect clubs who develop their own players. Other sports do this much more effectively.“
“We understand that this is a sensitive and difficult issue but I believe that the points system proposal is again innovative, providing at least the opportunity to begin this conversation.”
Clubs are invited to Club Forums next week to discuss the proposals in more detail and clubs can register here: registration form
