Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
JACKIE HENDRIKS - FILE
THE JAMAICA Cricket Association (JCA) will be fielding strategies at implementing semi-professionalism, starting with its premier competition - the Supreme Ventures Super Cup - which bowls off with a full slate of five matches tomorrow.
Each club has been given $600,000 for which $100,000 is earmarked for coaching assistance and $300,000 for logistics stipend support. Besides that, $3 million is budgeted as performance incentives for individuals and teams.
"This year is the scheduled start of what we've been looking forward to do for a very long time, to be able to introduce some form of remuneration for the players and also be able to have qualified coaches in the various clubs and parishes," the association's president, Jackie Hendriks, said.
He listed the move as part of an overall plan to strengthen the game in Jamaica by way of its long-term objective of garnering the participation of the country's most talented players. Most of these cricketers, especially in recent years, have not played a significant part of any season with their respective local clubs because they are representing teams overseas, mainly in various leagues across Britain. Hendriks' body wants to change this.
"What we're looking to do in due course is to retain local players so they'll be encouraged to stay at home and play their cricket, and not go away, which they've been doing in the past 10 years, which has reduced the quality of our local cricket," he observed.
FUNDING
Asked if the JCA has set a time-table to fully start in its plan to ensure constant remuneration and commitment between players under terms of agreement similar to a job, Hendriks said not until they have acquired funding.
"At some stage, when finances allow it," Hendriks, a former West Indies cricketer, said . "It would take a considerable amount of money. What we're trying to do is at least start out. We're starting quite a long journey. We've taken these first steps.
This is our wish.
"Obviously it depends on our finances. This is the big bugbear. If we can't get the financing then we'd be back to square one. We're very hopeful that we can encourage sponsorship for this."
The JCA is hoping the title sponsor of its elite championship, Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL), will provide money towards this endeavour. This season represents the last of a whopping three-year deal between the JCA and SVL worth $45 million.
"At the moment we're in very close touch with Supreme Ventures, which has done a wonderful job in assisting with the Super Cup. We hope that we can make a success of the season so that they may come back in and make it even more beneficial for both of us."
Apart from that, the regional board has said it wants to place some top players on retainer contracts and the JCA president pointed out that that would greatly facilitate their semi-pro goals .
"We look forward to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) bringing the players under a retainer contract. When we (Windies) are not away playing international cricket we may be able to get some players from the territories to take part in our competitions, as we did several years ago," he said, noting that would boost the quality level they are desirous of achieving in this drive towards semi-professionalism.
