2022 was a successful year for cricket in Switzerland which highlighted growth in number of clubs, participation in an ICC T20 event after many years and
strenghtning of women’s cricket.Alex Mackay, who was serving as president, retires from cricket Switzerland after more than 35 years of service! As he retires, he leaves cricket in Switzerland on a path to growth in all aspects including cricket for men, women and children. More details in attached report.
Cricket Switzerland President’s report 2022
by Alex Mackay
The AGM marks Cricket Switzerland’s eight year as a member of Swiss Olympic and first full
year as an ICC Associate Member since rejoining in 2021.
As with Swiss Olympic, ICC membership is a landmark moment in the development of the
game in Switzerland. It brings with it substantial benefits and quite some challenges, some
of which I highlight below:
Opportunities
– formal participation in ICC-endorsed events at senior, junior and Women’s levels.
– an official ICC T20 ranking
– assistance with training and education (coaching, umpiring, etc.)
– networking with other ICC European associations
– financial funding – relatively modest at entry level but depending on the association’s
activities in any given year (recorded in our online scorecard), potential for significant
growth
Obligations
– rigorous approach to planning and budgeting
– significantly increased workload on compliance, planning and budgeting, preparation for
ICC events
2022
We admitted three new members admitted in 2022 – total now 34, continuing our 10-20%
per annum growth.
Within this membership there are now twenty-five senior men’s teams! Juniors’ cricket is
also thriving, including the creation of a 30-over league at U15 in 2022, significant in order
to take advantage of the pathway to the U19 ICC World Championship in 2026.
We also fielded six women’s 6 teams, below our ICC requirement of eight teams to ensure
our continued membership and the kind of funding we require to run the association well.
As alluded to above, managing the rapid increase in membership and obligations to external
bodies (SO and ICC) has greatly increased the workload on the EC and on the individuals
within it. Thanks to Ken & Michael, we have kept on top of all these demands.
We have been actively encouraging the creation of sub-committees to spread the load and
this has seen some success, but this needs to continue, including identifying additional
assistance outside the current EC and within the CS broader membership.
In order to improve our chances of attracting further sponsorship, Cricket Switzerland’s
presence and visibility on the internet and particularly with social media.
Led by Clive, significant efforts have been made to increase the visibility of CS and have it
identified as a “modern” sporting organisation. Although we are currently purely concerned
with recreational cricket, a professional image, with common branding (new refreshing
logos) and clean, modern player’s clothing, were introduced.Currently sponsorship remains an issue and the executive invites everyone to provide the
ideas & the skills to be successful in this area. We should be careful to maintain good
relationships with current sponsors & supporters of cricket.
A particular focus of mine over the years has been the officiating of cricket.
Concerning umpiring competency, there is always room for improvement. But respect,
perhaps a sign of modern society, is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. Without
respect for the officials and your opponents and yourself, respect for the traditions & spirit
of cricket, we will not develop the game and importantly not be able to retain and to
develop those willing to give up their day to officiate. The availibity and willingness of these
individuals is critical when we have so much cricket.
2023
In the last two years the dynamics of the committee has changed and my creativity, along
with my passion and the ability to motivate others has diminished to the point that I will not
seek re-election in 2023.
So, after over thirty-five years of involvement in cricket in Switzerland, twenty years in
senior Cricket Switzerland positions in two stints, including nine years as Cricket Switzerland
President and three of the Swiss Cricket Association, I have decided to hang my hat & retire
from my duties as president of Cricket Switzerland.
I believe the time is right to hand over to someone that possesses the positivity, the energy
& the enthusiasm that I have had over all these years.
In all this time, never have I put myself first. No hidden agenda, no search for self-gratitude.
I’ve always tried to lead with passion, by example and motivate others.
Cricket has quadrupled in size since my first meeting of the national body, the then Swiss
Cricket Association. Admittedly the association was less than 10 years old back then and had
single figure membership.
For years cricket was stagnant. A game played by aging ex-pats, with little or no ambition to
grow the game. There was also a prevalent self-destructive element, built around cultures
or common dislikes hell-bent on destroying each other. Thanks to time, as opposed to any
conscious effort on my part, we have managed to rid ourselves of most of the damaging
elements in cricket. The in-fighting should remain a thing of the past, by being positive,
accepting mistakes, allow individuals to develop and explore ideas (new & old).
With 40 members, four domestic senior men’s competitions, women’s cricket developing
and youth cricket flourishing, I leave cricket in a good place.
I wish my successor the energy and passion and patience required to lead this association
into a new era and new heights.
And I’ll see the rest of you on cricket field!
Alex Mackay
24.2.2023
