Cricket launches new long- term Project
The Botswana Cricket Association ( BCA) will officially launch a new Project, which has been set up to provide long- term opportunities for national players.
The foundation for this new venture, comes about with a purpose to ensure sustained development growth, and improved performances.
The Vice Chairman of the BCA, Sumod Damodar shared that the program has been a long coming issue which will enhance their development agenda, ensure sustainability and continuity. “It’s a long term project which has been in our minds based on practicality of ensuring that it is something that can be implemented and sustained for a long time. We have never embarked on any program that is settled, it has been stop- start situation and that is not sustainable. We have been thinking about it and there are lots of factors involved in terms of the plan itself, the financial implications, continuity and the target of the people involved,” Damodar explained.
Cricket in their continued quest and efforts to promote and grow the game by ‘ Bringing Cricket to the Nation’ are looking to align their long- term development strategy with that of the Botswana National Sports Commission ( BNSC). Damodar said BCA are one of the first affiliates to jump at the opportunity to draft and implement their long term development targets. “We are one of the first codes that have already aligned our development template with the one used by BNSC,” he added. The new long- term project is set to mainly benefit the players and Damodar stated that the players must play their part and grab the opportunity.
“There is so much that the association or the board can do, when there is a program that is all encompassing, it has got to be done on the basis of the fact that every stakeholder that is part of the whole process has a role to play. One of the stakeholders in this case, mostly being the players, have a big role to play to make sure that they take the benefits of that opportunity and ensure that they deliver, because any program that is development orientated has to be performance based as well,” the BCA Vice Chairman added.
Recently, some of the local top players have competed for clubs beyond the borders of this country, including as far as Dubai. At least four are plying their trade in South Africa, Limpopo, as they are in a placement program to promote their development. “As far as Africa Cricket Association ( ACA) is concerned with the program they have got with the Asian Cricket Council ( ACC), which is being implemented in the present moment, is for all members of ACA to be able to participate in events where potentially their players of merit can be identified and to be selected to play in tournaments in Asia or other developed countries,” he said.
Damodar called for patience and said the program is a long term development and results will not come overnight. He urged the players to put in a lot of hard work and deliver, more- especially at national level adding that the association will do their best to put all the necessary measures to help them perform at their best. The BCA deputy chairperson, Damodar, was last month elected as the Chairman of Africa Cricket Association and promised to steer the ACA to greater heights for the promotion and growth of the game locally and across the continent.