New Cricket ACT chief executive Cameron French is intent on the region "adding value to Australian cricket" and will work with Canberra clubs to form a strong link between the grass roots and high performance.
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French will also begin discussions with Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW about what elite fixtures can be brought to Manuka Oval after the success of the cricket World Cup and the Big Bash final.
Cricket ACT announced on Thursday it had appointed French on a three-year contract, filling the void left by Mark Vergano, who will step down after 13 years in the top job.
French will begin his new role in the next four to six weeks once he finishes his commitments with Cricket NSW as its general manager for game and market development.
He has 15 years of experience in sports administration and has previously played club cricket for North Canberra Gungahlin.
French said the biggest challenge for Cricket ACT was to build on the fantastic initiatives that had been put in place in the past few years.
"I think it's really adding value to Australian cricket," he said.
"We've done a fantastic job from a game development perspective over the last two years, growing participation and servicing the ACT and the cricket community more effectively.
"It's about how we're going to add value to the Australian cricket system and working with the local stakeholders to have a clear strategy to do that."
Cricket ACT has gone through a transitional phase in the past 12 months with the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW.
The ACT and Country Cricket NSW now field combined representative teams from under-12 to under-19 level at national championships.
The ACT Comets also include players from the Sydney first-grade competition who have country NSW backgrounds.
French said he had three clear aims he wanted his board and staff to deliver:
- Grow participation in the sport, focusing on the junior level and women's cricket,
- Making the ACT grade competition a desirable place for talented cricketers to progress their careers.
- Working with Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW and the ACT government to secure elite content at Manuka Oval.
"We want to open up some dialogue with Cricket Australia straight away and Cricket NSW about what the opportunities are," French said. "We think we have a fantastic case.
"The crowds at the [Australia v South Africa] one-day international, the crowds at the BBL and the crowds at the World Cup show the passion the people from the region have for the game."
