Cricket South Africa (CSA) is urgently ploughing more into its measures to address transformation, in light of a letter slamming the lack of transformation in cricket sent by #BlackCricketersInUnity to the governing body’s management two weeks ago.
The general manager and former Proteas coach, Corrie van Zyl, admitted that the pace of transformation at national level was far too slow, and outlined the various measures CSA had in place to speed up the process.
Van Zyl coached the Proteas at the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Having read about the coverage in the Cape Argus, Van Zyl sought to inform people about what he was doing to ensure the sport transformed.
For close on a year, CSA has been investing in the Hubs and Regional Centres Programme – an initiative aimed at taking the sport into areas where cricket is not played as widely as the country’s other major national sports, soccer and rugby.
The initiative involves investing in infrastructure in previously disadvantaged communities, and providing coaching and life skills training to children in those communities. The initiative was less about unearthing the next Makhaya Ntini, Van Zyl said, and more about ensuring development at grassroots level.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that kids from previously disadvantaged areas have access to this game,” Van Zyl said.
“We found that in the past, schools from
the townships played an average of five games per year whereas former Model C schools played 30 matches in one year. “Our main focus is to close that gap.”
At franchise level, transformation was taking place with teams urged to include at least six black African players in their squads and at least three in the starting XI.
Van Zyl admitted CSA had failed to act soon enough to address transformation at national level.
It was hoped that the Hubs and Regional Centres Programme would address the perceived lack of a pool of black African talent from which to pick. But, this would be a slow process.
“Our Hubs and Regional Centres Programme is still a work in progress, but I’m sure we will achieve our objectives.
“We’ve identified the big communities where support for the game has dwindled over the years.
“We have a strategic plan that we are hoping will yield good results in the next five years.
“We’ve also introduced an educational programme because we not only want to make good cricketers, but also good human beings.”
In order to drum up support for cricket, particularly in disadvantaged communities, Van Zyl lauded franchises who “took the game to the people”.
The last time a township in Cape Town hosted a professional cricket match was in 1999, when a Western Province Invitational team played the West Indies in Langa.
It’s a far cry from what the Titans and Highveld Lions have done in Gauteng where, over the past three years, they’ve played games in Mamelodi and Soweto through the Momentum eKasi Challenge.
Taking the game to the people is of importance for the growth of the game.
The Bulls proved this when moving some of their 2010 Super 14 rugby fixtures from Loftus Versfeld to Orlando Stadium, while the Pretoria venue was undergoing a facelift ahead of the World Cup.
The move drew support from a crowd that ordinarily would not have watched rugby.
That same year, FNB Stadium hosted its first rugby Test, between the Springboks and All Blacks. Almost 95 000 spectators watched that Test, which the All Blacks won 29-22.
Van Zyl said other franchises should follow what the Highveld Lions and Titans were doing to expand the sport’s support base, particularly in areas where rugby had made in-roads.
He also agreed that the Proteas should be taking more games into disadvantaged communities, allowing residents to “see their stars up close and personal in action, in their own backyard”.
“It will be nice to see more cricket franchises play in the townships. The Momentum eKasi Challenge has certainly proven to be a success. I think going forward, other franchises must also look to take the game to the masses.”
Access to the sport was another issue that needed addressing, Van Zyl said.
Ticket prices for the Ram Slam T20 series start at R60 – twice the cost of a ticket to watch a PSL match.
Attending a cricket match could also be a day-long affair, so attendees need to factor in the cost of food and drinks into their budgeting.
Transport to and from cricket stadia also needs to be accounted for, which means attending a T20 match at Newlands could set you back hundreds of rand.
This, too, Van Zyl said, would need to be addressed before the sport was adopted by the masses.
*Ronald Masinda is a sports anchor and reporter for eNCA and a former SA under-19 Colts player. - Cape Argus