By DAVID NAGEL
CREATING a pathway for junior cricketers that is effective, but simple to navigate is part of a plan to build a stronger relationship between the West Gippsland Cricket Association and the Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club.
The pathway to participation for both boys and girls in West Gippsland was a future ideal discussed at a meeting between the two parties last week. General Manager of the WGCA, Rob Hansen, and High Performance coach for Casey South Melbourne, John Hayes, agreed to work towards building a partnership designed to achieve such a goal.
“We are the second fastest growing region in Australia yet we have negligible structures and facilities for females to play cricket,” Hayes said.
“It is time to lay the foundation for future development for boys and girls in this growth corridor.”
As part of the meeting both parties agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding that would provide a two-way process of cooperation into the future. This would provide a pathway for talented male cricketers, assist with the development of female participation and provide possible coaching resources for the future for the WGCA.
“West Gippsland cricket has evolved a strategic plan to shape its cricket into the future and this partnership will be a vital plank in building the way we allow for the future needs of those who want to enjoy cricket,” Hansen said.
“We need to gather our current resources and, allied with Local Government as well as key stake holders, establish methods to provide for all participants rather than just some as we do at the moment.”
Building the relationship between the WGCA and Casey-South Melbourne has been tried before, but had little effect as both bodies have put a premium on looking after their own backyard. Hayes said he was confident that things were about to change.
“It’s just common sense that we should both be making the effort to make this work,” he said. “The WGCA has a fresh approach and we as a club need to approach things differently. The bottom line is we want to build junior participation so that it becomes the vehicle for players talented enough to gain state or national selection.”
Mr Hansen said the WGCA will shortly put a plan in place that will identify the interest of girls looking to take up the game.
