The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and Women's Cricket Australia (WCA) today announced that the two organisations would integrate their operations to ensure the best possible approach to developing the game in Australia.

The decision is the result of extensive discussions between the two organisations on the most effective way to develop the game that have taken place over the past two years.

ACB Chairman, Mr Denis Rogers, said that while both organisations have been successful in attracting participants to cricket, integration would provide the most effective structure to develop the game in Australia.

"Australian cricket is very successful at attracting people to play the game. More than 488,000 Australians play cricket including over 41,000 girls and women but both the ACB and WCA want to make sure that they are as effective and efficient as possible in developing the sport," said Mr Rogers.

"As we worked through the issues, it became apparent that having separate organisations undertaking similar roles was working against cricket realising its full potential to attract women to the game."

WCA President, Ms Quentin Bryce, said that having two bodies responsible for the game lead to an unnecessary duplication of resources.

"We have been effective in the way we go about administering the sport under our jurisdiction but tackling the task of promoting cricket separately inevitably results in the duplication of human and financial resources," Ms Bryce said.

The integration of the two bodies will provide the following benefits:

• the opportunity to develop the game further by more effectively using the existing cricket recruitment and development structures from grass roots to the elite level;

• ensure more efficient and effective allocation of resources through streamlined administration and use of existing ACB expertise in areas such as Marketing, Game Development and Operations;

• reduce the financial pressure on the members of the senior women's Australian team by increasing player allowances to cope with the financial pressures of touring; and

• maximise the access to facilities for national and international competitions by coordinating programs and schedules.

To smooth the integration process, the ACB and WCA have agreed to a transitional period of two years during which the newly created Women's Cricket Committee to be chaired by Ms Bryce will oversee the change.

The Committee will also include three representatives from the ACB Board of Directors as well as people from each State and the ACT and will be responsible for ensuring that the two bodies are able to merge their operations without any loss of identity or importance for either organisation.

The three current permanent staff of WCA, including WCA Executive Officer and current Australian Women's team captain, Belinda Clark, will move into similar roles with the ACB.

© 2001 Australian Cricket Board

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