South Africa’s smaller provincial unions feel they still have a critical role to play in domestic cricket, and while sympathetic about Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) need to secure the sport’s future, believe each case should be judged on an individual basis.
“It needs to be a holistic approach that considers governance, finances, pipeline development, schools cricket, the academy set up and the professional side, and how all of that fits in the South African cricket ecosystem,” said Easterns Cricket Union CEO Wesley Coulentianos.
CSA confirmed it had established a task team that will interrogate the sustainability of the sport. The task team, which will be led by CSA CFO Tjaart van der Walt, will have its first meeting on Tuesday. It will consider a broad range of topics that include revenue and growth generation, brand strategy and most pertinent to some of the smaller unions like Easterns, the structure of the domestic game.
There’s a strong sense among many of the larger, urban-based unions that CSA’s current provincial structure encompassing 15 professional unions is unsustainable — particularly because of worrying forecasts about income from broadcast rights internationally, which have for decades been the lifeblood of the sport. “I think there is a general understanding among the small unions about the risks related to the sustainability of the game,” said Coulentianos.
“But it is not just about a domestic restructure, and I’m sure the task team will be looking at all areas, as it must. We are sympathetic to what it needs to do.”
Easterns, who are based at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, have gradually achieved stability after years of administrative turmoil that left many at CSA exasperated.
While still based in the second division, along with Border, Northern Cape, Limpopo, KZN-Inland, Mpumalanga and South Western Districts, Coulentianos says Easterns still have a valuable role to play. “We went through a very turbulent time,” he said.
“But I think now we are doing well as a union. We have financial stability, our marketing efforts have been strong and our governance too. We are on a path now where we feel we are close to competing with the bigger unions.”
The last major domestic restructure occurred four years ago, when South African cricket shifted from six franchise sides to the current 15-team structure. That decision, taken in a ham-fisted way by disgraced former CEO Thabang Moroe, was also based on financial concerns, but did not include a consultative process.
This time CSA is adopting a more wide ranging evaluation, and is being careful about not wanting to exclude anyone’s perspective as was the case the last time when the players weren’t consulted.
There has been a sense that, despite promotion and relegation being in place, teams from Division 2 have become somewhat forgotten in the broader ecosystem. “In general, it is harder to attract sponsors and content for stadiums. Something like the SA20, as good as it’s been for the sport, has created this sense of an elite group,” said Coulentianos.
Representatives of unions from Division 1 and 2 will serve on the task team, which has been expanded from eight to 16.
Besides Van der Walt, it also has senior members of CSA’s executive committee, including CEO Pholetsi Moseki and two senior coaches — Geoff Toyana, who is representing the division 2 coaches, and Russell Domingo, who is providing perspectives from those in Division 1.
The task team is expected to start work this week after meeting on Tuesday. “I think we are quite positive about the work it will do. Even through all the challenges, I think we are all pulling our weight” said Coulentianos.
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