…lauds launch of Emerging Players Academy
CRICKET West Indies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Johnny Grave has described 2022 as a year of recovery recovery both on and off the field, following two extremely challenging years due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Grave, in his annual report at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting, “CWI has just staged our busiest-ever regional and international cricket schedule, as well as delivered record revenues to help get the organisation back on track, continuing to work towards achieving our key strategic objectives.
Grave pointed out that four years ago in 2019, CWI) embarked on a mission to achieve its Cricket First Strategic Plan (2019-2023), the ethos of which was simple – to ensure that cricket was at the centre of decision making, throughout every level of the organization.
“This transformational and ambitious roadmap had been developed with the collective input of key stakeholders and was intended to guide the organisation towards improved performances on and off the field. As such, the strategy was geared towards growing the sport, achievement of winning teams, the modernization of the organisation’s governance, and the achievement of financial stability.”
Grave said “placing emphasis on our objective to continue to develop, train and support the best young talent in the region, this year saw the return of all of our regional youth competitions and also marked the launch of our new Emerging Players Academy at our very own Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG). These are two critical facets of our player development pathway which will ultimately feed into our international teams.”
Grave disclosed that 2022 also marked the conclusion of successful negotiations with longstanding partner, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, for full ownership of the CCG property. “Once the final paperwork is completed, this major development, coupled with the now completed CCG redevelopment masterplan, means that we are making good progress on our goal to establish the CCG as a worldclass High-Performance centre for the current and next generation of West Indies players.”
According to the CEO, “financially, I am also happy to report that CWI is in a much stronger position, helped by the key strategic media and commercial partnerships secured in conjunction with the successful hosting of tours by England and India in this financial year. With the adoption of a very prudent financial management strategy, coupled with this record-setting revenue year, the company achieved total revenues of approximately US$78.5M and a total annual surplus of US$20.8M.
CWI’s accumulated deficit has significantly decreased by approximately 90% from $23.2M in 2021 to now just $2.5M.
He pointed out that “these achievements would not have been possible without the collective hard work and dedication of our staff and management team, supported by our Board of Directors and our many stakeholders.
“As we prepare for yet another exciting year, with the launch of the women’s programme at the Emerging Players Academy and another full schedule of regional and international cricket, including again hosting both India and England Men’s tours, we have much to look forward to.
The year ahead will also include the important planning period for hosting the biggest cricket event ever in the West Indies, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in June 2024. This tournament will be a major financial boost to Cricket West Indies and all our host countries, it is the perfect opportunity to invite the world to the biggest cricket carnival ever staged and a once in a generation chance to build a strong foundation for the future.”
