USACA admin says revised constitution will satisfy players

In the wake of mounting criticism from USA national team players over what they claim is a lack of support provided by the USA Cricket Association that resulted in the team's relegation from WCL Division Three last month in Malaysia, USACA first vice-president Michael Gale has told ESPNcricinfo that the first step to solving many of the issues faced by players is ratifying a revised constitution and governance model at the upcoming USACA AGM on November 15 in New York.

"I think it's incredibly honest for players to say that," Gale told ESPNcricinfo, in response to comments made by former captain Orlando Baker, Akeem Dodson and at least four others who have issued public statements demanding changes to an administration they say has failed them. "The forthcoming AGM and compliance and constitutional review should set the landscape for individuals to step up on the board and get this better going forward. There's an immense amount of energy exerted by players, coaches and board members in various areas to help but I think we need a different constitution in order to get the type of landscape that they feel comfortable being involved in."

The proposed revisions to the constitution were originally scheduled to be voted on in August but the vote was postponed after a quorum could not be reached at a Special General Meeting that coincided with the USACA National Championship in Florida. Gale says he has seen some of the players' comments and blames the large territory of the country combined with a lack of funding for the problems that have resulted in an inability to assemble USA's players to train together ahead of tournaments to give them the preparation they need to succeed.

"I can understand their frustration," Gale said. "These are enormously disparate geographies which makes it really expensive to bring people together frequently enough. There's an unbelievable sacrifice that these players go through. These are amateurs who get a small stipend but the sacrifice they make to play, the coaches and a lot of other administrators is quite amazing. Depending what happens with the new constitution which will hopefully be approved and amended, there may be better channels to get the resources to help everybody out.

"There's going to be bumpy performances. There are going to be some great years and some not so great years. This is just not a great year after a lot of great work that we've all put into place. Everyone is disappointed. We have to find some way through this and get financing and resources to get them through that."

One solution Gale thinks will fix these problems is having a dedicated CEO to focus on sponsorships and facilitating funding. USACA's chief executive position has been vacant since Darren Beazley announced his resignation in February and in August an inside source indicated that the board was seeking to remove the CEO position as a requirement from the constitution in favor of hiring multiple employees in varied administrative roles. Gale says both options are still possible depending on the outcome of this weekend's AGM.

"The design is to get a new constitution and governance model in place that would better facilitate the success of a potential CEO," Gale said. "We need more administrative support generally for the regions so they can work but we need to find the funding to hire somebody whose job is development of sponsorship and financing for the organization. Whether or not that is a CEO in the traditional language I think is still debatable but the question of long-term financing and a connection with national sponsors requires significant professional experience and help."

Regardless of sponsorship and constitutional governance, many players have spoken of the general lack of transparency and communication regarding team selection. Japen Patel broached this topic in a lengthy post on social media on Monday before speaking to ESPNcricinfo about the frustrations of many players like him deal with in regards to various administrative processes.

One aspect that Patel and other players take issue with is the scant consideration given for logistical aspects, such as completing squad selection far enough in advance to allow players enough leeway to coordinate time off from work. USACA's squad for Division Three was only announced on October 5, 18 days ahead of the start of the tournament. Most players need to give their employers 30 days notice and as a result Patel put in a request for time off by September 23 but was unable to retrieve that time off after he was left out of the squad to Malaysia. Patel says he is also frustrated when players who do not turn up to USACA national tournaments or selection camps wind up making it into USA squads ahead of players that do show up.

"They need to have some sort of process set up that's more transparent," Patel said. "There's not a lot of confidence shown in the players. They're picked for one tournament and dropped then ignored completely. There's no communication. USACA has failed to notice there are players who have been working hard."

Gale acknowledges that these issues need to be addressed in the future and that he appreciates that the players are making USACA aware of the things they feel need changing before their faith is restored enough to recommit themselves to USACA.

"It's our responsibility to reach out to them from a selection committee perspective to have that conversation because I think it's critical to have a transparent conversation," Gale said. "All sport is extraordinarily frustrating when you lose. I'm in awe of their passion, their incredible commitment to time, and the fact that they stood up and said something.

"If they wish to withdraw the opportunity to play for the US, which is unfortunate, I think it's up to the new board governance and compliance review to prove to them that this is a fight worth having to get the USA cricket back up to Division Three and beyond. The ball is in our court to improve and the ball is in their court to continue performing so that they are not only just available but have the opportunity to be selected based on performance."