January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Cricket to hire youth director
The full-time post was created as part of a multi-million dollar investment in cricket following the national team's qualification for the World Cup.
The new director will be in charge of running cricket from under-19 down. His remit will be to increase the number of young people playing cricket in schools and at the clubs.
He will also be tasked with setting up new junior and school leagues, improving the existing ones and raising standards throughout the island.
Former St George's Cup Match captain Wendell Smith and current chairman of selectors Arnold Manders appear to be the most qualified Bermudians for the job, which will also involve implementing a rolling four-year development plan for youth cricket.
BCB chief Neil Speight said he couldn't comment on who was on the shortlist.
But he did say the role was central to the board's aim of producing a national team that consistently qualified for the World Cup.
He said the establishment of a national academy with indoor and outdoor nets and training facilities was still a distant dream.
But bringing in a director to run youth cricket, and hopefully some nets, was a big first step.
He said the academy director would also have to help 'coach the coaches', giving P.E. teachers and club coaches the opportunity to improve their training skills. The role also required a good knowledge of the school system and the ability to manage and run leagues and training programmes, he added.
The director will work with coach Gus Logie to select coaches at all age levels and ensure the philosophy and tactics of the national team filter through to every level of the game. “We are hoping this person will be the lynchpin of our youth programme from under-nine up.”
Speight said the board was not looking to go overseas and wanted a Bermudian with knowledge of the island's cricketing infrastructure.
But a brief look at the job advertisement markedly narrows down the shortlist.
The minimum requirements are a recognized advanced coaching certificate, a bachelors degree, strong educational skills, experience managing people and budgets.
And the BCB would prefer someone from the school system who has been heavily involved in cricket.
Wendell Smith, older brother of national team captain Clay, and Arnold Manders appear to be two men who could tick those boxes. But both already have important jobs in the school system. Smith is headteacher at Paget Primary and Manders is head of Physical Education at Berkeley.
Someone like Albert Steede could potentially be another option for the board, though he might need more coaching qualifications.[[In-content Ad]]
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