Proposal: 
State Youth Cricket Associations to be 
Considered an Integral Part of the 
Junior/Youth Structure & Pathway 
11.25.2020 
─ 

Jamie Harrison & Jamie Lloyd 

USA Cricket  
Suite 7, 1 First St 
Los Altos, CA 94022 
 

 
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Overview 2 
Current Youth Cricket Landscape 3 
USA Sports Landscape 5 
Challenges & Opportunities 6 

Framework 7 

Player & Administrative Pathway 8 

Functions of a State Association 8 

Governance Structure of State Associations 9 

Relationship Between USAC and State Associations 9 

USAC Authority Over State Associations 10 
School programs 11 

Operation of State Teams 12 

State Team Selection/Trials 12 
State Team Management 12 
State Team Fixtures 12 

Implementation 13 
8A: Staged Rollout 13 
Phase 1 (By May 1, 2021) 13 
8B: Process of Forming 14 
8C: Required Resources and Reporting Line 15 
​Human Resources 15 
8D: Delivery Plan & Timeline 15 

Budget 17 

 
 
 
 
 
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1. Overview 
In the recently released Foundational Plan (2020-2023) USA Cricket identified that... 
 
“to grow and develop the sport in the USA for the next generation and for it to become a 
leading cricketing nation, we need to create and engage new and younger cricket fans, 
players, officials and coaches. As such, we will take steps to increase the relative amount 
of investment into grassroots, community and youth cricket initiatives that will have 
longer-term engagement and impact and build the players and fans of the future.”  

The purpose of this document is to respond to this mandate by making a case for State 
Youth Cricket Associations as a crucial part of the administrative landscape.  

 
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In a country with the size and the population of the United States, it would be overwhelming 
from a resource and manpower perspective for USA Cricket to manage all junior and youth 
development initiatives centrally. USA Cricket must establish regional and local 
administrative bodies to help with the delivery of grassroots cricket, just as do all other 
leading cricket nations.  

By supporting and facilitating State Youth Cricket Associations as a key component of the 
national structure, USA Cricket can channel the energies of the many great cricket people 
around the country to deliver mass participation entry level programs (Rookie League), 
organize and run regular intra and inter state youth cricket competitions, support the national 
umpire and coach pathways, and provide a place for parents and volunteers to get equipped 
and engaged with the sport locally. 

Current Youth Cricket Landscape 

Another point which must not be overlooked is USA Cricket’s commitment to making cricket 
a game for all Americans, and the role that youth cricket plays in that. Currently, the youth 
market is dominated by a small number of expensive clubs and academies, which serve to 
limit participation to families that are willing to spend handsomely on cricket. This necessarily 
eliminates two demographics: families that are new to the game and just looking to give it a 
try, and families that simply cannot afford the expense. Additionally, since the best coaches 
are associated with these high-priced academies, talented players from 
financially-challenged households are denied access to coaching that might have discovered 
“diamonds in the rough.”  

Once a state association begins operation, it is charged with increasing mass participation 
and the availability of affordable programming, and also the operation of state teams where 
talented prospects would be exposed to a higher level of coaching, regardless of economic 
background. This is key if we are to grow cricket’s popularity in the United States, because 
while 99% of youth players will never play international cricket, they will eventually become 
the foundation of America’s cricket fanbase. To the degree that we accept limits on youth 
participation today, we also accept limits on cricket’s long term popularity with Americans 
tomorrow. 

Ultimately, USA Cricket cannot fulfill its mandate to engage new and younger cricket fans, 
players, officials and coaches without a network of vibrant state youth cricket associations to 
implement this vision at the grassroots.  

 
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There are currently five state youth associations organized in the United States. The oldest of 
these is the Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA), founded in 2010. MYCA has created 
six new youth cricket programs in the state and conducts dozens of school programs 
annually. Its state youth cricket championship competition, operating since 2013, has grown 
to five divisions (including a Girls Division) with over 650 players from 45 teams. MYCA’s 
state teams have represented Maryland at regional and national tournaments since 2018, 
winning multiple championships. Its top level state team, 17U, is coached by former Team 
USA player Adil Bhatti, who is compensated for his work. 

The Virginia Youth Cricket Association (VYCA) was organized earlier this year and has just 
concluded its first state championship competition. Its representative state teams recently 
faced off in a bilateral series against their neighbors in Maryland, with matches being 
contested in both states in two separate age groups. The VYCA has five member 
organizations at this point, stretching from Richmond in the south to the capital suburbs in 
the north. They are planning an aggressive schools program, once the COVID crisis is past. 

The other states with youth associations are in Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, but these are 
embryonic and have not yet organized state competitions or representative state teams. 
They are planning on these for the 2021 season. 

 
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USA Sports Landscape 

In the United States, amateur sports teams have traditionally represented their local towns, 
and for higher-level players, their states. This makes sense, as historically, the states were 
created from English colonies, and these colonies (later states) were fiercely independent 
and proud of their accomplishments. In fact, the reason the representatives of the colonies 
chose the moniker “state” after declaring independence was that they saw themselves as 
nation-states, rather than provinces of a unified nation. The “United States of America” 
were, in fact, seen by the Founding Fathers in 1776 as a coalition of independent American 
nation-states, not as one nation. 
 
This pride in one’s state continued to be a strong motivator for Americans, and was a large 
factor in the American Civil War, where volunteer soldiers in both armies fought in state 
regiments, where state pride was on the line when facing enemy fire in battle. The exploits 
of state regiments were eagerly shared in home newspapers, and was, again, a matter of 
state pride. If you visit any Civil War battlefield, you will find monuments to states and to 
state regiments throughout. In collegiate athletics, state universities often carry the honor 
of its residents with them onto the playing field, and this emotional attachment is deeply 
felt by the fans. State pride is engrained in the American psyche. 
 
In professional sports, teams represent either states or cities, if the cities are large enough 
to support a fan base by themselves. It is very rare to find a pro team that claims to 
represent an area greater than a state, the two notable exceptions being the NFL’s New 
England Patriots and Carolina Panthers. (In both these cases, however, there is historical 
precedent for the regional affiliation. Before there was a Boston, or even Massachusetts, 
John Smith declared the region to be “New England,” and maps labeled it as such. And 
when founded in 1629, Carolina was a single English colony, before being split in 1712.) 
 
Conversely, should USA Cricket attempt to create permanent zonal youth teams, it will not 
only be faced with significant geographic challenges, but also the impossible burden of 
attempting to overcome historic American identity by creating loyalties to these new, and 
frankly artificial, constructs. It is very unlikely that players or fans will find themselves with 
an emotional attachment to their zones, however they already take considerable pride in 
their states, and this pride will easily transfer to their youth cricket teams. 
 
 
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Challenges & Opportunities 

Since its inception, the overarching goal of USA Cricket has been the unification of the 
American cricket scene. This unity has not been achieved in the United States due to a 
history of poisonous rivalries, destructive splinter groups and the actions of numerous 
self-interested individuals. Unification can only be realized when the vast majority of 
American cricket stakeholders are working together toward common goals within the same 
organizational framework. State associations will become the vehicle by which every 
stakeholder can have a say in the success of cricket in their state, and a clearly defined place 
within the USA Cricket ecosystem. 

We can expect that in states with a multitude of established academies and youth 
organizations, there will be initial resistance to the idea of power-sharing within a common 
organization, even if the agreed-upon goals of that organization are praiseworthy. Actors 
who have become accustomed to working alone will seek to avoid cooperation. Academy 
rivals will be suspicious of each other, and will see sinister motives where none exist. Team 
selection issues will be particularly thorny. 

However, if we are serious about achieving national unity, we must confront these state 
challenges head on and refuse to back down. We must accept that if USA Cricket cannot 
compel a few academies to work together for the benefit of cricket in their own state, then 
the dream of national unity is, in fact, a ridiculous fantasy. On the other hand, once we get 
cricket stakeholders working together for the betterment of the game in their state, once we 
engage national critics in the work of changing things in their communities, once we activate 
the great available, yet unavailed of, human resource in our midst, we will finally be on the 
path to national unification. 

Often the loudest voices are those who contribute the least, either by lack of opportunity, or 
by choice. With state associations, we will engage the willing and identify the unwilling. And 
then we will unify cricket in America. 

 
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2. Framework 
The USA Cricket constitution lays out it’s domestic administrative structures as follows: 

● Zones. ​The United States will be divided into the six (6) geographic Zones set out in 
Exhibit B for the purpose of effective administration, and the CEO will be responsible 
for the consistent and coordinated operation of the Zones. 
● Conferences.​ Two (2) Zones will be combined to create a Conference, resulting in a 
total of three (3) Conferences as set out in Exhibit B. 
● Non-Members.​ Zones and Conferences are administrative entities within USA Cricket 
and shall not be considered Organizational Members of USA Cricket.  

State Youth Associations would create an intermediate level of administration and player 
pathway that will cover the gap between the private clubs/academies and USA Cricket 
Zones. This is a critical component of the national domestic system because participation 
growth and early player development functions are driven by activities at the grassroots. 
Grassroots organizations are almost exclusively staffed by volunteers who depend on local 
administration to first be recruited, and then organized and supervised, and this cannot be 
efficiently done above the state level. State associations are also critical in giving local 
volunteers a sense of ownership and responsibility in growing cricket in their communities 
and states. Through the associations, parents and enthusiasts are converted into trained 
school ambassadors, coaches, umpires and administrators. All of these activities are most 
efficiently managed at the local level. 
 
State associations are also a necessary component of the national domestic structure 
because zones are too large geographically, player bases will be too large numerically, travel 
too inconvenient and engendering zonal loyalty problematic. Zonal staffing resources will 
always be insufficient to manage all of the clubs and academies, and to administer USAC 
programs and initiatives. As we succeed in growing participation, this will become even more 
the case. The zonal model actually becomes more efficient, and zonal staff more effective as 
the state youth association model comes online. 
 
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3. Player & Administrative Pathway 

 
 
As the above diagram demonstrates, our suggested administrative pathway would see State 
Youth Associations being responsible for facilitating grassroots junior and youth cricket 
within their states (the bottom tier of the player pathway). 

4. Functions of a State Association 

Things they would do: 
● Administer USA Cricket initiatives; report results to zonal representatives 
● Encourage and support local Rookie League programs 
● Facilitate the establishment of new local youth clubs 
● Create and administer state competitions in multiple age categories 
● Organize and administer state recognition program for players and local volunteers 
● Train and equip school ambassadors 
● Facilitate the training of local coaches 
● Facilitate the appointment and training of umpires and scorekeepers 
● Create representative state sides, pass on scouting reports to zonal representatives 
● Participate in zonal state vs. state tournaments 
● Identify potential WCA candidates 
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● Promote the game of cricket within the state 

● Hold Annual General Meetings 
 
Things they would not do: 
● Create regional or zonal administrative bodies 
● Involve themselves in adult cricket 
● Involve themselves in MiLC & MLC affairs, except as a beneficiary of community 
initiatives by the teams 
● Organize support or opposition to USAC candidates or officers 
● Act in any way that is contrary to the best interests of USA Cricket, as that is defined 
by USAC 
 

5. Governance Structure of State Associations 

 
Each association will be a non-profit corporation, operated by volunteers drawn from local 
youth cricket stakeholders and governed by a Board of Directors that gives an equal voice to 
each member organization. The BOD shall elect from itself, officers such as a Chair, 
Treasurer and Secretary.​ ​The association will be free to create standing or ad hoc 
committees as it sees fit. 
 
The state youth association's members are the organizations that promote/sponsor cricket in 
their state. Each organization that participates in the state's youth cricket championship 
competition will be granted membership in the state association, which in turn gives it a seat 
on the board of directors. 
 
State youth associations will be self-funded by partic​i​pation fees for the state championship 
competition collected from the member organizations, community business sponsors and 
other fundraisers. 
 

6. Relationship Between USAC and State Associations 

 
SAs will be member organizations of USAC, and this membership will be conditional upon 
acceptance of USAC rules, obligations and mandates. Prospective state associations will 
submit their constitutions, names of officers and initial program plans to USAC for review, and 
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then be provisionally accepted as a state association. To accomplish this, USA Cricket will 
need to amend its constitution to create the membership category of State Associations. 
 
USAC Authority Over State Associations  
 
Should a state youth association be found to be non-compliant, USAC may provide various 
remedies including but not limited to: offers to assist, meetings with administrators, 
mediations, and Memorandums of Understanding. Should these be insufficient, the threat of 
suspension should be enough to bring a state association into line. This leverage allows 
USAC to nudge at first, and then later demand compliance, and the SA risks being cut off if it 
is defiant. It is anticipated that parents of talented players will not long suffer their children 
being cut off from USAC selection due to administrative incompetence. 
 
USAC will provide such material and manpower resources for cricket development as it can 
at any given time, including mentorship, training, best practices, sharing of information, etc. 
While no specific support commitment is made, however, in most highly-developed full 
member nations, the NGB provides financial support both directly and by funding programs, 
and it is envisioned that one day USAC would do the same. 
 
SAs are expected to promote cricket participation growth in the state, to operate a state 
championship competition and to administer state teams. SAs are expected to operate 
transparently and to comply with all USAC membership obligations and administrative 
requests. 
 
USAC is expected to organize zonal and national competitions for state teams, to 
communicate regularly with state administrators, to respond promptly to inquiries and 
requests​ ​and to support to the best of its ability the associations in their missions. 
 
The chain of command throughout American grassroots cricket will thus be: 
Clubs/academies ---> state associations ---> conference/zonal administrations ---> national 
administration. ​This will provide a clear and smooth ​delineation​ of responsibilities and 
authority that will allow for the activation of local volunteers on their own behalf, while freeing 
USA Cricket from the burden of involving itself in grassroots minutiae. 
State associations will rely upon their administrators and grassroots volunteers to deliver 
programs and services. Zonal administrators will follow up with state administrators to ensure 
that programs and initiatives are being delivered in a timely way that conforms to USAC's 
expectations. This can be done by direct observation, or by electronic reporting, or both. 
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National Junior & Youth Programs 
 
USAC is in the process of designing and developing an entry level mass participation 
program due to be rolled out in 2021. They are also working on standardizing nationwide 
formats for cricket at various junior and youth age-groups. 
 
State Youth Associations would ensure these programs and formats are the standard for all 
cricket played in their state so as to ensure national alignment at all age levels. 
 
Rookie League and other entry-level school programs will be resourced by USAC, 
administered by state associations and executed locally by grassroots volunteers. USAC may 
provide formal Rookie League training for volunteers as it sees fit. 
 
 
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7. Operation of State Teams 

 
State Team Selection/Trials 
 
States will create their own selection panels and methods of selecting state teams. In 
extreme instances, USAC reserves the right to intervene in selection issues, should it deem 
it necessary. As with any dispute, USAC always reserves the right to suspend a member 
organization, which would deny that state's players access to USAC resources, including 
USA zonal and national teams. 
 
 
State Team Management 
 
States will select their team coaches and managers. USAC will require that any staff at this 
level complete required background checks, etc. and reserves the right to bar unapproved 
individuals from contact with players. USA Cricket certification will become the expectation 
for all coaches at the state level. 
 
State Team Fixtures 
 
States will arrange bilateral friendly matches between themselves. USAC will arrange for 
state vs. state zonal tournaments, with the winners advancing to state vs. state national 
championships. A happy byproduct of this is that state vs. state matches will become a 
ready-made marketplace for USA Cricket-trained officials, which is critical if we are to make 
their training meaningful. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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8. Implementation 
 
A state youth association should be created wherever local volunteers exist to support it. 
We anticipate that this will be the case wherever serious youth cricketers are to be found, 
because there won't be a place where a great player exists without a team, or a great team 
exists without other teams to play. Players need teams and teams need competitors. 
 
Very large states may offer challenges due to the sheer number of volunteers and 
organizations involved, and the task may be more complicated, but there are no 
insurmountable obstacles envisioned. Conversely, in sparsely populated states, finding 
committed volunteers will be a challenge and may initially require more zonal support. 
 
It is imperative that state associations exist in all places where youth cricketers exist; it is 
not possible to have a functioning intermediate level that allows alternate pathways 
around itself. This will create dysfunction and ultimately the failure of the system. 
Therefore, to encourage states to organize, USA Cricket will offer opportunities and extra 
benefits to those states who have reached certain milestones by May 1, 2021. The final cut 
off date for a state to have organized in order for its players to remain eligible for national 
selection is to be May 1, 2022. 
 
To facilitate the mass adoption of this model we suggest a staged rollout as follows... 
 
 
8A: Staged Rollout 
Phase 1 (By May 1, 2021) 
The initial rollout will see a focus on those existing SYAs, states who have already indicated 
an interest in starting a youth association,and a number of targeted states which are 
deemed as crucial in the junior/youth cricket space. Those States are as follows… 
 
Existing: 
● Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA) 
● Virginia Youth Cricket Association (VYCA) 
● Wisconsin Youth Cricket Association 
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● Ohio Youth Cricket Association 

● Minnesota Youth Cricket Association 
 
Indicated an Interest: 
● Pennsylvania 
● Arizona 
Targeted States: 
● California 
● Texas 
● Illinois 
● New Jersey 
● New York 
● Florida 
 
These States were identified through a data collection process carried out by the Volunteer 
Youth Coordinators as having significant playing numbers at junior and youth level, or a 
large disparity in numbers between adult and youth participation due to a lack of playing 
opportunities or affordable programming 
 
This would see 13 State Youth Associations across the country established by May of 2021, 
including at least 1 from each zone. 
 

8B: Process of Forming 

 
State youth associations will be established by following this basic process: 
1. selecting an organization name 
2. incorporating under that name 
3. adopting bylaws 
4. electing officers 
5. applying for USAC membership.  
 
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To help facilitate this process around the country, and to ensure adherence to best practice 
we would require an experienced National State Youth Association Coordinator to be 
appointed in a part-time role. 
 

8C:  Required Resources and Reporting Line 

 
Human Resources 
       
The responsibility for providing strategic oversight and guidance to the implementation of 
this project lies with the Development Committee. 
The management responsibility for delivering the project lies with the National 
Development Manager and the various conference and zonal staff (yet to be appointed) , 
who will report on progress to the Development Committee on a regular basis. 
USA Cricket will initially appoint a National State Youth Association Coordinator, to take 
responsibility for the implementation and oversight of this project, and to support the 
operational responsibilities of the Development Manager. 
 
Reporting Line Day 1: 
Will insert once I get my laptop back from my daughter. 
 
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Reporting Line Future: 

 
 
 

 
8D:  Delivery Plan & Timeline 
 
TASK  K-O  1M  3M  6M  9M  1Y 
Signoff on State Youth Association Project  x 
 
       

Appoint National State Youth Association Coordinator  x 

 
       

Establish clear and concise criteria, including governance  x 

 
       
structure, recommended bylaws and best practice guidelines for 
State Youth Associations to be officially recognized. 
Finalize milestones required for SYAs to qualify for opportunities  x 
 
       
and benefits by May 1, 2021  
Ensure existing State Youth Associations are in compliance with   
x 
       
criteria above. 
Press release announcing State Association concept and State   
x 
       
Team structures for junior and youth cricket. (include the 
proposed May 1, 2021 & 2022 deadlines) 
Announce dates and sites for zonal and national state       x          
tournaments. 
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Announce USAC member organizations that have been   

  x 
 
   
accepted as state youth cricket associations 
Hold educational meeting for state association leadership        x          
Plan for establishing SYAs in remaining 30+ states.        x     
Conduct zonal state vs. state tournaments          x       
Conduct national state vs. state tournament              x     
Finalize milestones required for SYAs to qualify for opportunities   
   
 
  x 
and benefits by May 1, 2022 

9. Budget 
  
The following is a proposed budget through the end of 2021: 
  

State Youth Associations Project

Budget Summary ($)

Personnel Costs (National State Youth Association Coordinator) $6,000

To be absorbed in USAC
Zonal & National Tournament Costs Youth Tournaments budget

Training costs (Training of SYA leaders from around country) $10,000

Marketing costs $2,000

Travel/accommodation costs (staff) $2,500

TOTAL COSTS $35,000