CowCorner
Member
100% Agree. Well put.
Dvca, Nmca And Hdca To Merge
- Thread starter sam_j_adams
- Start date
100% Agree. Well put.
sam_j_adams
Member
For all those interested, and those yet to become interested, here is the link to your new Northern Cricket League website:
http://www.ncl.vic.cricket.com.au/
Some interesting discussion items.
http://www.ncl.vic.cricket.com.au/
Some interesting discussion items.
100% BULL
Member
Thought I'd take a look. I certainly think we could benefit from having greater involvment from CV on a strategic level with some of the points made, but I think some are just crap and others can be considered and implemented from within the current structure. Some extract from the new website, my thoughts in bold italics.
CRICKET UNDER PRESSURE - It’s no secret that cricket is under pressure as a leisure activity, primarily due to the time it takes to complete a match and the lack of direct involvement a player may have in an actual game. – I don’t think anything mentioned so far addresses this, and if it does it is probably something the DVCA could introduce on its own.
A PATHWAY TO THE BAGGY GREEN - Bradman grew up in Bowral, 180 kms south west of Sydney, his pathway was the Hume Hwy.
LOCALISED COMPETITIVE CRICKET
A key benefit of the new Northern Cricket League will be less travel for players, for parents for club members and supporters – Is this really an issue?
U10 to U17 – U17 is a good idea, U10 worth consideration also, but we don’t need a mega comp to make it happen.
It is hoped that the need to ‘top up’ older age groups with younger players (which can often be a negative for parents and detrimental to the development of the younger player) is eliminated. – Good thing, but again don’t need mega comp
Regionalise cricket even further particularly in the lower grades where the game is played more socially than in the higher grades. – Yeah but that still doesn’t mean Im not happy driving to Greensborough to beat Riversdide or Mont to beat them. The drive doesnt worry me, or my teammates.
The NCL would also allow us to grade more accurately and avoid the imbalance of clubs playing other club’s upper eleven’s in lower grades – I think the DVCA have taken a step towards this already.
FLEXIBILITY AND CHOICE
provides grades and formats that suit the preferences and profiles of participating clubs – This is something the DVCA could do on its own if clubs deem it neccesary
MAINTAIN TRADITIONS, CREATE NEW ONES.
One of the great strengths of local cricket in the region is the rivalries that have been created over the years. Some of these stretch back, 60 or 70 years. Wherever possible these would be maintained for the benefit of competing clubs, and their players both past and present. – How could this possibly be maintained when they talk about regionalising cricket more succinctly, regrading, etc?
CRICKET FOR EVERYONE
A combined cricket competition give us the scope to seriously develop women’s cricket in the area. – I think this is a good thing and may require an multi league effort to make happen.
EVOLUTION NOT REVOLUTION - This is revolutionary
Centre to Leg
Member
100% Bull....this time you are 100% correct!
There is no obvious benefit to the DVCA if this merge was to take place. The DVCA is a well organised & well run organisation which has a proud history for over 60 years. There is a reason the Diamond Valley is a strong competition and it is because we have many committed local clubs and people in it who understand the wants & needs of local cricket in our area.
We do not & have not changed rules and competition format's because of a few knee jerk individual clubs or to follow other association trends.
We (The DV Clubs) have always voted & done what is best by the whole Diamond Valley Competition and the clubs within it.
At junior level, Cricket numbers have dropped off a little but this is evident Australia wide and is more a reflextion on Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria and can be addressed at a local level by all clubs, if required.
Obviously the HDCA and maybe the Northern Cricket league have issues in their competitions they need to address and if they feel they want to become a stronger competition than my suggestion would be for them to both merge together if they see fit, but leave the DVCA to continue as the healthy vibrant competition it is.
We all know the DVCA isnt broken and certainly doesnt need a Super Comp to address any issues. As many of your points suggest, the majority of the issues raised can all be addressed at the local level.
I implore all Diamond Valley Clubs to seriously think about what impact such a drastic Competition change would do to your club, especially those smaller clubs who will be encouraged or forced to merge with other local clubs to survive in this merged super comp.
There is no evidence that such a merge of the three competitions will improve, the standard of cricket, the participation level for seniors & juniors or the well being of clubs in the Diamond Valley.
Yes this topic is emotional and it should be, as the Rich history of the Diamond Valley is on the line here and will be lost forever if this merge takes place.
If you are reading this and are yet to vote on the above Question " Which Association Clubs will benefit the most from this merger" I encourage you to do so to let everyone know that the Diamond Valley Cricket Association will be the least advantaged by such a merge.
Speak soon.
100% BULL
Member
well said.Its obvious there are a lot of negative comments on this forum. There is a lot of crap written but you have to decifer the good from the bad. Even though I think a great opportunity is being missed if this doesn't go ahead, the comments made against the idea that are relevant should really be answered. I think Cricket Victoria should have someone who represents them listening to peoples complaints about the idea and should constructively find an answer for people out there. I have heard that Cricket Australia has been having meetings with all the state competitions concerning cricket and a plan for the next 20 years. However they need to share their ideas with the community so we can understand what there point is at the end of the day. The most important issue is where does this merger fit into their grand plan or does it at all. Perhaps a lack of communication from the top competition is one of the main reasons why everyone has to fend for themselves when ideally the whole cricket community needs to head in the same direction.
100% BULL
Member
Goliath in terms of todays posts I'm not sure that they are negative as much as they are pointing or facts (with a mix of personal opinion). The major focus of all adminstrators and leaders of the game should be to increase participation, simple. There are certainly challenges, we all feel them, but Im not sure such a big step is required at this stage, why cant CV work with local associations to assist in growing participation in a more micro way? How does CV assist local leagues and clubs? Website support?, yes, Insurance?, I think they still do, Umpire training?, yes, administrative support?, maybe. Financial support? not to my knowledge, Strategic advice / training?, not to my knowledge, Government lobbying for improved fascilities?, not to my knowledge, School programs to develop interest in the game and drive kids to local clubs?, not to my knowledge. There is significant upside within our existing associations, it just needs to be developed.
I've seen the ups and downs of local cricket obver the past 21 years, numbers have dwindled for some of the reasons mentioned previously. From my clubs perspective our luck improves in direct measure to how hard we work, I cant see that being very different to most other clubs, and on that basis I cant see how a super league will change that.
If the senior comps don't merge I hope that they go ahead with the junior merge and run it like the leading football comp in the state, the Yarra junior football league. The quicker more age groups and grading comes into it the better it will be for junior competitions.
A few ideas that would be good also:
Have to have 17s giving kids an extra year of juniors and have the date for eligibility for 17s pushed back to April. (works well in NMCA)
Must have a 20/20 comp in all age groups but be a seperate comp like the HDCA. This could be expanded though and you could play 2 games at 1 ground( maybe U12s followed by U14s).This is played midweek instead of training, perhaps every 2 weeks in a shorter fixture.
Must be regulated batting and bowling overs for juniors. The majority get to play more cricket and everyone gets a go.(Have seen teams in DVCA let batsmen bat till they go out or make the maximum runs with half the team missing out and we wonder why kids leave cricket.)
NFL and Yarra leagues in footy have developement squads that train through the season. Why can't cricket too with the emphasis on developement and training and not be like rep trials. Elite cricketers from SEDA talented cricketers program could assist a selected coach in this training.
Grounds have been an issue too but if clubs considered more merging junior teams then this maybe fixed. For instance club A without a full side in an age group would merge with club B that has surplus players forming a side that could play at club A's ground.
Does anyone else have any other ideas?
A few ideas that would be good also:
Have to have 17s giving kids an extra year of juniors and have the date for eligibility for 17s pushed back to April. (works well in NMCA)
Must have a 20/20 comp in all age groups but be a seperate comp like the HDCA. This could be expanded though and you could play 2 games at 1 ground( maybe U12s followed by U14s).This is played midweek instead of training, perhaps every 2 weeks in a shorter fixture.
Must be regulated batting and bowling overs for juniors. The majority get to play more cricket and everyone gets a go.(Have seen teams in DVCA let batsmen bat till they go out or make the maximum runs with half the team missing out and we wonder why kids leave cricket.)
NFL and Yarra leagues in footy have developement squads that train through the season. Why can't cricket too with the emphasis on developement and training and not be like rep trials. Elite cricketers from SEDA talented cricketers program could assist a selected coach in this training.
Grounds have been an issue too but if clubs considered more merging junior teams then this maybe fixed. For instance club A without a full side in an age group would merge with club B that has surplus players forming a side that could play at club A's ground.
Does anyone else have any other ideas?
A lot of good points Bull. The school programs is my favorite. Some schools have sent sport back to the dark ages. If you can play a musical instrument instead of weild a cricket bat you are a legend nowadays.
Firstly i'll lay my cards on the table and say i'm totally against the new NORTHERN LEAGUE ! But what im even more against is that our dvca president and adminstrator are forming this league yet are still wearing there dvca hats, there either part of the dvca competition or the new northern league not both, as it was first mentioned clubs would be canvased to get a feeling on the merger then very quickly the goal post have changed to - the formation of the northern league regardsless and clubs will be asked to join, from where i sit our president and adminstrator(who is a paid employee of the CLUBS) are now wearing 2 hats, if there forming the league with others from nmca and hdca the they should stand down immediately at let the clubs decide whether to stay true to the dvca or leave for the new northern league! As a player and person who has had four generations of my family play in the eltham district/dvca i would hate to see our competition join forces with two obviously struggling comps,the arguement of better quality cricket is rubbish, more teams dosent mean better quality and we take on there problems- clubs with no juniors, some with only 2 seniors teams and two competitions with extremely low numbers of umpires, Lets kept the proud history going, lets add the clubs to this competition that are worthy of joining, like epping ,mernda camrea and lalor stars and greensborough, Lets move forward on our own and with a new figurehead at the top !
In a discussion I had with a current member of the Executive, some of them are starting to doubt and are concerned about this proposed merger? I think the Presidents of all DVCA clubs should meet independantly and see where eachothers clubs stand and hopefully form a packed to keep the DVCA intact! I think we are far better staying as is with some improvements, whilst keeping an eye to the future and potentially canvassing clubs like Heidelberg, Rosanna, Banyule etc to join the DVCA down the track!
big picture
New Member
Not that I'm a fan of the merger,BUT is this driven IMO by a bigger group of people.The name Northern may be a hint of how this is being set up.The introduction of women s sport (football and cricket) with the current Netball in the area supports a plan for a massive increase of funds from government and other sources .The development of Barling Reserve as the hub for sport in the area is dependent on this .Could you imagine the savings in running all sport in the "Diamond Valley" from one administration block?? This would be a coup for the NFL
BP, What does NFL and barling reserve have to do with the strength of cricket clubs and quality of cricket in this area, this arguement is about what best for the dvca clubs, the running of sport from one admin block is a different arguement for a different day, this is about the Heritage of the comp, the standard of the comp(which is extremely competitive and even at the moment) and what is better for our clubs!
big picture
New Member
Could be Barling Reserve maybe the headquarters for all sport in the "Northern" suburbs...that's the plan
I strongly support the heritage of DVCA -HDCA-NMCA (JIKA) and id be rapt if this all went away. Like everything $$$$ will rule ...
Do you remember the old local footy comp? teams are the same but the name isn't
I strongly support the heritage of DVCA -HDCA-NMCA (JIKA) and id be rapt if this all went away. Like everything $$$$ will rule ...
Do you remember the old local footy comp? teams are the same but the name isn't
100% BULL
Member
Draught I may have missed some info on this. Is the DVCA the one driving the set up of this new entity, or has CV set this up? If a league was being set up by CV, and opinions were sought from the three existing leagues, would you like someone from the DVCA to provide an opinion of behalf of the association, or simply let the other two parties dictate terms during a very important period?
Comment - I've not met the DVCA administrator, but I assume he is someone of integrity. I have met the President and I know he is someone of great integrity. I certainly dont think the President has any conflict of interest or any "two hat issues" at the moment. If you are interested in becoming the new figurehead or have a candidiate in mind, you can nominate at the AGM.
For the record, again, I'm against the merger, glad you are also.
Centre to Leg
Member
Its time for the DVCA Club Presidents to get together and discuss this openly together. The lack of clear communication on this whole process is a worry. I hear there is even a lack of understanding of the process forward at the executive level which is a real worry.
If all the clubs get together and decide this is not what the the DVCA clubs want then it is simple......We all Vote NO to a merged competition called the Northern Cricket Association. I know that at most club AGM's the club members have to vote on which competition they would like to play in in the following season. As long as there is a Diamond Valley Cricket Association, thats where we should stay. If Cricket Victoria want to start up a new Comp, then good luck to them but as far as I am concerned, the DVCA is the only comp for Diamond Valley cricket.
I can see Draught's point though, the executive is elected to represent the Diamond Valley Cricket Association and the clubs with in it. The goal posts have shifted a number of times since this matter was raised last season. If the executive took a vote now to see which clubs were dead against such a merged comp and majority said no to it then this proposal should be dead and buried as far as the DVCA is concerned.
It's time for the clubs to have their say. The clubs have the power to stop this now if they want to.
If all the clubs get together and decide this is not what the the DVCA clubs want then it is simple......We all Vote NO to a merged competition called the Northern Cricket Association. I know that at most club AGM's the club members have to vote on which competition they would like to play in in the following season. As long as there is a Diamond Valley Cricket Association, thats where we should stay. If Cricket Victoria want to start up a new Comp, then good luck to them but as far as I am concerned, the DVCA is the only comp for Diamond Valley cricket.
I can see Draught's point though, the executive is elected to represent the Diamond Valley Cricket Association and the clubs with in it. The goal posts have shifted a number of times since this matter was raised last season. If the executive took a vote now to see which clubs were dead against such a merged comp and majority said no to it then this proposal should be dead and buried as far as the DVCA is concerned.
It's time for the clubs to have their say. The clubs have the power to stop this now if they want to.
I don't play in the DVCA - in fact I play in the ECA - but my kids have played in the Jika comp. I'm surprised at the level of negativity towards this move by CV. I would like to think that cricketers can look beyond parochial self-interest and try to see the issue from a broader perspective. Victorian cricket is in the doldrums, and part of the reason is that resources are stretched. Surely it makes sense in so many ways to merge 3 boutique competitions in the north to pool valuable resources and strengthen the game in this area and therefore strengthen Victorian cricket as a whole.
The ECA is a merged competition (in the late 90s) and has gone from strength to strength. Junior teams are frequently winning or figuring in pathway finals, and the comp has strong turf and synthetic grades, a burgeoning one day comp, vets etc etc. To say that heritage must be retained is kind of like saying "Things must never change". I think people should get behind this move and see it as a real positive for cricket in the north.
The ECA is a merged competition (in the late 90s) and has gone from strength to strength. Junior teams are frequently winning or figuring in pathway finals, and the comp has strong turf and synthetic grades, a burgeoning one day comp, vets etc etc. To say that heritage must be retained is kind of like saying "Things must never change". I think people should get behind this move and see it as a real positive for cricket in the north.
Centre to Leg
Member
Obviously you do not have any association with the DVCA, we are not a "boutique comp" for starters. Who cares about the ECA, what is your interest on this matter anyway? Who are you representing here? Cricket Victoria? The Good of the Game?
This is not about change....change comes about when there is a clear benefit to gain. Nobody has provided any evidence of how such a merge would benefit the Diamond Valley Clubs or cricket in the North. This is not about self interest either....unlike many other local Competitions, the DVCA is not broken. So why change something thats not broken? Should we change for the sake of change?
Congratulations on highlighting how good the ECA is.......but please go back to the ECA forum and sprook your propaganda from there.
I guess you would have prefered that I didn't disclose where I played so that you couldn't play the man?
I was merely making the point that a merged competition can strengthen rather than weaken cricket in an area, but I guess you don't want to know that. Perhaps you are afraid of something?
I'm not representing anyone, just bringing another perspective to the "discussion". Or do you just want a lot of yes men in this thread, all agreeing how terrible this idea is for the DVCA?
Please, address the issues rather than abuse those that might bring an opposing POV. In my opinion, there is a clear benefit to all clubs that are part of a big strong league. It gives all clubs more muscle when negotiating with councils over grounds, facilities etc. It prevents duplication of resources amongst clubs and associations that really aren't that far apart. I'm sure that if you stretch yourself you can see some benefit.