Lad from Potch has begun on a good wicket
HEINRICH Strydom has crammed more into the past four months of his life than most people do over a few years.
Get married – done, become a chief executive of a major South African brand by the age of 35, done. Move from the solitude of Potchefstroom to Durban, done.
It has been a lot to take in, but the smile is never far from the lips of a man who has left his mark wherever he has gone in his administrative career.
They have nothing but positives to say about him in Gauteng because he is a man who rolls up his sleeves and gets the job done.
“It has been a hectic four months, and things are just starting to settle down,” Strydom said this week.
We met the night after yet another abandoned match at Kingsmead, but Strydom remained tremendously upbeat by what he had already experienced in Durban.
“There is a hunger here for the game, and that crowd that turned up for our opening Ram Slam game was very pleasing. In fact, some of our vendors even sold out, even though people didn’t see a ball of cricket.”
Accordingly, Strydom has advised his match-day suppliers to ensure that they cater optimistically in the future. He wants to leave no stone unturned at a place that he sees as a sleeping giant in South African cricket, a franchise with significant potential.
“The big thing that has stuck out for me already is the incredible feeder system that we have through the township cricket programme.
“Everyone just sees the main tournament that goes to Hilton College, but there are actually 40 hubs operating, with over 60 coaches, and thousands of young players who are very keen on the game.
“We need to really tap into that, and make sure that we capitalise on that incredible system because I am sure it is unique in the country,” Strydom beamed.
To that end, Strydom is engaging corporates in the city to try to get a hand to keep those early flickers of potential burning into something brighter.
Having played a handful of first-class matches for North West, Strydom understands just how difficult it can be trying to get people from different backgrounds to get on the same page.
One of his first acts as the boss in Durban was to extend an invitation to the KZN Inland Cricket Union to bring its entire staff and players to Durban to meet their coastal counterparts.
“When we went through the organogram, we quickly realised that there were some people who do similar jobs, but had never met each other.
There were people in Maritzburg who had never set foot in Kingsmead, so we saw an opportunity to engage,” he explained.
While the players – including Dolphins – practised around the ground, the various departments from the offices had workshops, before everyone came together for a braai and a warm-up game for the amateur sides at Kingsmead, ahead of the Africa Cup.
The umbilical cord between Durban and Maritzburg, which can sometimes seem longer than the 90km, was instantly reattached, and that has been maintained throughout the season.
KZN cricket has long been a conundrum, a conflicting mix of potential and politicking, but Strydom insists that he has been met with nothing but kindness and well-wishing in his early days.
“It has all been very positive, and I think that is because we all want the same thing, ultimately.
“We want a strong KZN cricket system, and it is important that we all work towards that together,” he said of his relationship with the KZN Cricket Union.
Of course, success for him in his five-year tenure will also be measured by the hosting of international matches, as well as the Dolphins dominating on the field.
“I have never actually seen a Test in Durban,” he lamented.
“So I am really looking forward to the one in March, and also hosting the international matches against India.
“Those are always massive occasions, and it is down to us to make sure that we attract a big crowd.”
As a chief executive, he knows he will be judged by the numbers – the attendance, the revenue and the trophies.
Beyond that, Strydom knows that part of his success may be realised down the road.
“I read something from the All Blacks, which struck me.
“They speak about planting the trees that you will never see, and I feel that is something we must also do.
“We must set structures in place that will benefit those who come after us,” he said cheerfully.
If you go down Kingsmead way, you will very quickly realise that the trees of the Strydom era have already been planted. And, what’s more, they are getting plenty of rain.
“Ag, we can’t do anything about that,” he bemoaned, however, he didn’t rule out visiting a sangoma for a consultation.
The lad from Potch has certainly made a home for himself in Durban.