Cricket Australia ***** on club volunteers

[Ron The Bear]

Cricket bosses call on clubs to boot long serving volunteers who are past ‘best before’ date
Christopher Harris
Daily Telegraph
May 21, 2019

Cricket Australia has appealed for the dismissal of thousands of long serving club volunteers, declaring their innings should be closed.

The sport’s ruling body has urged clubs to raise the finger to stalwarts “hanging on” past their “best before” date and send them on their way.

The insult to dedicated committee members came at the start of National Volunteers Week and has been condemned by experts who warn it risks alienating cricket’s grassroots support.

The strategy was contained in a Cricket Australia document about managing its volunteer network which identifies barriers to succession planning within its ranks including volunteers “hanging on too long”.

The document by Cricket Australia identified volunteers “hanging on too long” as a barrier to succession.

“We actively encourage all clubs and associations to embrace diversity in their volunteer teams no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability or religion,” [a Cricket Australia spokesman] said.

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One of the most offensive things I've read. Our club has an 80yo volunteer who is an abject example in humility and selflessness and is quite possibly the greatest man I will ever meet. A certifiable legend. And he never played a game.

As a former long-serving committeman and life member of my local club pondering retirement, I'm now motivated to take the advice of a veteran opponent who exhorted "play till you drop".

No amount of semantic backtracking can undo this vilification of grass roots cricket people. * you and your identity politics, Cricket Australia.

 

[Xtreme]

Another example of Cricket Australia's ineptitude.

Cracking shot that

 

[Crashy]

That is unbelievable

 

[rdhopkins2]

I see where they are coming from but this will only further alienate club volunteers / committees already suffering from a lack of people putting their hands up to help.

 

[Ron The Bear]

this will only further alienate club volunteers / committees already suffering from a lack of people putting their hands up to help.

Yes. The only pre-requisite is an interest in, you know, cricket. That's all CA has to worry about engendering. And they are failing.

Cricket comes first, the volunteers follow. Get it right you dickheads.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

I see where they are coming from but this will only further alienate club volunteers / committees already suffering from a lack of people putting their hands up to help.

Badly handled but I also see what they are trying to say. There are clubs, cricket and otherwise, that can be run as little fiefdoms by older volunteers who have an 'I've earned it attitude' to the job and then resist change.

It's a balancing act to honour the work these people do but also allow a club to evolve.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Badly handled but I also see what they are trying to say. There are clubs, cricket and otherwise, that can be run as little fiefdoms by older volunteers who have an 'I've earned it attitude' to the job and then resist change.

You think these roles are glamorous? They are totally mundane at face value. The reward comes from being part of a team that gets things done. They're no place for the "me" generation.

Young blokes aren't into replying to correspondence or cleaning the kitchen. That stuff just happens magically, if they're even conscious of it.

As they get older and their attachment to the club firms, some will take an interest in how things work. Some of these will involve wives or mothers. It's how cricket operates at grass roots level.

 

[AndyLucimitis]

No - been around enough clubs to know it's not glamorous. My father would be up at the ground at 7:00am on cold Saturday mornings marking the ground out in his gumboots so I know exactly where you are coming from Ron. I've also been on several footy club and school committees.

I may be mis-interpreting the ACA document, but I saw the issue as more, for example, we need to embrace social media, apps etc but being held back by older committee members going "no - that's all bullshit, we've done it like this for 40 years '

....said with an Allan Seale type old man accent - 'Aphis and Lace bugs".

 

[Ron The Bear]

I may be mis-interpreting the ACA document, but I saw the issue as more, for example, we need to embrace social media, apps etc but being held back by older committee members going "no - that's all ********, we've done it like this for 40 years '

We can't even get our first XI captain to learn MyCricket well enough to enter the scores! I work in IT and our club practically revolves around Facebook, but I manage to get by without looking at it. The same work still needs doing; things change at their own pace, and change for change's sake is a worthless pursuit.

I don't agree and perceive it as far more sinister. A companion if you will to the recent controversial article by Jarrod Kimber.

 

[Bruce K]

Without the "older" generation, the clubs will die.
I ran Juniors at association level for 19 years...ran the competition by emails from 1999.
Electronic results and D-Sheets from 2002.

Ever thought this could have more to do with a power play???....with money at the end of the tunnel???

CA doesn't invent!!! they "borrow". look at association playing formats from 1999,... Who invented Kanga??...an association, not CA.
Who started a MyCricket type system first???...

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Just yet another example how sports executives in high paying gigs and ivory towers really don't have a clue. When I was involved at Grade level, we had an elderly gentleman who worked the scoreboard. He had no car, and would catch buses to all the games, some a long way away. As opposition clubs rarely had scoreboard attendants, he would work the board for other clubs as well. He asked nothing in return, he just liked being involved. Now and then I would buy him a drink and he thought all his Christmases had come at once. If CA executives think these peoples' involvement is bad for the game, they've got crap for brains. They seem to think there's a long line of people waiting their turn to volunteer. Idiots.

 

[eth-dog]

You think these roles are glamorous? They are totally mundane at face value. The reward comes from being part of a team that gets things done. They're no place for the "me" generation.

Young blokes aren't into replying to correspondence or cleaning the kitchen. That stuff just happens magically, if they're even conscious of it.

As they get older and their attachment to the club firms, some will take an interest in how things work. Some of these will involve wives or mothers. It's how cricket operates at grass roots level.

Sorry mate but you're showing just as much disrespect to the "young blokes" as CA are to the older generation. At my club, nearly 30% of the commitee is people under the age of 30.

I don't like what CA are doing however, volunteers are the life blood at grass roots level whether they're 25 or 75.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

I may be mis-interpreting the ACA document, but I saw the issue as more, for example, we need to embrace social media, apps etc but being held back by older committee members going "no - that's all ********, we've done it like this for 40 years '

Yeah I'd like a non-News Corp "everything's outrageous!" version of this article.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Sorry mate but you're showing just as much disrespect to the "young blokes" as CA are to the older generation. At my club, nearly 30% of the commitee is people under the age of 30.

I don't like what CA are doing however, volunteers are the life blood at grass roots level whether they're 25 or 75.

Not showing any disrespect. A majority of our club's committee is u30, even if most struggle to see tasks through to the end at this stage without assistance.
My small club has literally been a premiership machine over the past dozen years, but take the older heads out of the committee and it would be lucky to last three years. The young fellas have plenty of ideas on how to spend the club's money!

I honestly haven't encountered these 'gatekeepers' that CA mentions at club level (although there is a toxic one at association level). The vast majority are happy for newcomers to take an interest and to pass on their knowhow. Natural attrition/handovers already take place as a matter of course.

As you say, age is irrelevant. If you're interested, you get the job. I only joined the committee 20-odd years ago because I was too slow to leave training!

 

[eth-dog]

Not showing any disrespect. A majority of our club's committee is u30, even if most struggle to see tasks through to the end at this stage without assistance.
My small club has literally been a premiership machine over the past dozen years, but take the older heads out of the committee and it would be lucky to last three years. The young fellas have plenty of ideas on how to spend the club's money!

I honestly haven't encountered these 'gatekeepers' that CA mentions at club level (although there is a toxic one at association level). The vast majority are happy for newcomers to take an interest and to pass on their knowhow. Natural attrition/handovers already take place as a matter of course.

As you say, age is irrelevant. If you're interested, you get the job. I only joined the committee 20-odd years ago because I was too slow to leave training!

Just felt it was an attack on people my age, that's all. All good, glad to see it's not just my club that youngr people are starting to be part of the commitee.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Just felt it was an attack on people my age, that's all. All good, glad to see it's not just my club that youngr people are starting to be part of the commitee.

If it wasn't for the young blokes I wouldn't be playing, they keep me young!

Perhaps there are clubs where the things CA describes occur, but I haven't encountered any, and ours is a large association. Reckon most clubs are similar in the problems they face.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

A phrase that has emanated from Cricket Australia when describing the committees at club/grassroots level is "pale, male and stale."

That's their impression. CA is constantly trying to get things taken up across the country. National club insurance program, fast bowling limitations, changes to junior rules, compulsory helmets, new grassroots programs, more Twenty20 cricket and a bunch of other things over the years.

They get resistance in some areas and CA put this down to cricket nuffies who "just don't get it." They see these people as roadblocks and if they were just out of the way then they could roll out all their ingenious plans unfettered.

CA is sick of trying to sell the benefits of their reforms to people who roll their eyes at what they consider new age guff.

It's quite a toxic situation and has led to poor relationships in the past between CA and clubs/associations and at times States and clubs/associations.

I thought this had been improved in recent times but seemingly not.

Speaking of pale, male and stale - it would be interesting to see the make up of the current CA and State boards.

 

[Cold Sober]

Volunteers are the life blood of most clubs. If more younger people volunteered to step up, some of the older helpers wouldn't have to keep putting their hands up for so long.

 

[Aussie_boy]

Oh that was serious? Thought it was something from Betoota. That’s ridiculous.

 

[JezzasOnTheAsphalt]

The suits at CA should have to come down to local clubs to sack long term volunteers themselves.

Having said that from what I've read so far I'm conscious this could just be a Newscorp blow up over some poor wording from CA, which has since been rectified.

 

[Ishikawa]

Just yet another example how sports executives in high paying gigs and ivory towers really don't have a clue. When I was involved at Grade level, we had an elderly gentleman who worked the scoreboard. He had no car, and would catch buses to all the games, some a long way away. As opposition clubs rarely had scoreboard attendants, he would work the board for other clubs as well. He asked nothing in return, he just liked being involved. Now and then I would buy him a drink and he thought all his Christmases had come at once. If CA executives think these peoples' involvement is bad for the game, they've got crap for brains. They seem to think there's a long line of people waiting their turn to volunteer. Idiots.

Somehow I don't think guys like that are what are being referred to here at all.

 

[Phone]

It's a bit pointless without seeing the whole document. It could easily be a couple of lines in a section about succession planning and managing risks with volunteers, and yeah, gatekeeping can be an issue, like in all areas in the workplace. A couple of volunteers may have exceptional knowledge of the club which is great, until they suddenly disappear due to illness, etc, and there goes the knowledge. I'm pretty sure CA isn't promoting mandatory retirement for all volunteers over 70

 

[Crankitup]

A phrase that has emanated from Cricket Australia when describing the committees at club/grassroots level is "pale, male and stale."

In writing anywhere or just verbal?

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

In writing anywhere or just verbal?

Article link

Corporate strategy expert Laura Anderson, chairperson of the Melbourne Fashion Festival and on the board of the Australian Grand Prix, told the conference that cricket desperately needed to re-engage the younger generation. And she had a pointed message for some of the game's administrators who were told they are living in the past.

Sutherland and other CA heavyweights took in every word.

"We are at risk of becoming a sport administered by pale, male and stale administrators," CA public affairs manager Peter Young admitted.

"Cricket is at risk of being complacent and the real risk is we are not connecting with young kids and women was the key issue from the conference that has hit everyone between the eyes.

"Cricket is in good shape at the moment but it's not going to stay that way unless we re-engage and get cricket back into the schoolyard with a focus on fun. We need to start acting urgently to engage kids and women and be more agile in the administration of game so we can be connected to the fast rate of change in today's society."

 

[Crankitup]

Article link

Unbelievable. We've had an Age Discrimination Act in place since 2004 and these guys act as if they've never heard of it.

What would they say to these guys? F%*k off .. you've had your run... you've got nothing of value to offer now?

Rupert Murdoch - still going at 88.

Warren Buffet - still CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at 88.

Sheldon Adelson founder - still chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation at 85.

Roger Penske - still Chairman of Penske Automotive Group at 82.