United States Youth Cricket Association

United States Youth Cricket Association

USYCA Logo
Formation 2010
Headquarters Glen Burnie, Maryland, USA
Membership
United States of America Cricket Association
Jamie Harrison
Website usyca.org

The United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) is the largest organization in the United States devoted to the promotion of the game of cricket among young people and is an Associate Member of United States of America Cricket Association.[1] USYCA promotes cricket in America by donating cricket sets and instruction to schools, at no cost to the schools, through its Schools Program.[2][3] USYCA has 60 member organizations: 21 Affiliates, which are organizations that are primarily engaged in youth cricket activities, and 39 Associates, which are organizations that support the USYCA mission, but are primarily engaged in other activities.[4] USYCA is a program partner with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.[5][6]

History

USYCA was founded in April 2010 by Jamie Harrison, Edward Fox and Rakesh Kallem.[7][8] The previous month, DreamCricket.com, a US-based cricket website and online retailer, had agreed to donate ten cricket sets for placement in American schools under a pilot program directed by Harrison.[9]

After receiving an invitation from Physical Education instructor Charles Silberman, Highland Park Elementary School in Prince George's County, Maryland became the first school to receive a cricket set from USYCA in May 2010.[10] In June and July, summer camps were the beneficiaries of USYCA donations, as schools were no longer in session.[11][12] By the end of the summer, however, the Prince George's County school system had extended a welcome to USYCA, as had schools in Baltimore City.[13][14] In the Fall of 2010, other jurisdictions in Maryland signed on, such as Kent and Queen Anne's counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore.[15][16]

USYCA President Jamie Harrison instructs PE teachers in Howard County, Maryland in March 2011

On 24 June it was announced that the C.C. Morris Cricket Library Association had agreed to fund the organization's infrastructure expenses, such as liability insurance and fees associated with the securing of federal tax-exempt status, up to a maximum of $5000.[17] This was followed on 13 July with the announcement that DreamCricket.com had raised its pledge to 100 sets, ensuring USYCA of a useful supply of high-quality children's sets with which to approach school systems.[18][19] This allowed the organization to break free of the time-consuming process of placing sets in one school at a time.

Another key development that summer was the introduction to USYCA of Maria Grossi, and DTY Pty Ltd., an Australian firm that was the supplier of cricket sets and apparel to Cricket Australia's MILO In2Cricket program. The referral came by way of Rebecca Mulgrew of CA, who first came into contact with Harrison in 2009 while he was coaching the cricket team at Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore.[20] By August, DTY was in discussions with USYCA that would result in the donation of 500 custom-made cricket sets, designed especially for the USYCA Schools Program.[21] These sets would eventually be named the American Cricket Champ, and was the first set ever produced specifically for the American market.[22]

American Cricket Champ set

Also that summer, USYCA produced its constitution,[23] which was largely based upon the USACA document, and in August the organization elected its first office holders.[24]

Shortly thereafter, Michael Thomas of Maryland, a member of the British Officers Cricket Club and the C.C. Morris group, was appointed as USYCA's first treasurer.[25]

Chase and Nathan Bracken

During these early months, individuals were volunteering to lead state youth cricket organizations for USYCA, so that by the end of August, USYCA was represented in 16 US states.[26]

In September, the first three USYCA standing committees were established: membership, finance and constitution/by-laws.[27]

Mike Young

In the Fall of 2010, USYCA began placing cricket sets in schools in Maryland,[28][29][30] and international cricket celebrities, such as Australia's Nathan Bracken and Damien Martyn, posed for photos wearing USYCA tee shirts.[31][32][33] Bracken included his son, Chase (also in a USYCA shirt), in his portrait. Also that fall, a USYCA instructional video was produced by Rohit Kulkarni and City Lights Films, and was added to the USYCA YouTube page.[34] This three-part video, "Introducing Cricket To Children In The United States," was viewed thousands of times in its first year online, and became key in delivering the USYCA formula to those spreading cricket to new demographics.[35]

In November, USYCA was granted Associate Member status by USACA, and made itself eligible for recognition and support from the International Cricket Council.[36] This eligibility soon paid off handsomely, as the USYCA Schools Program was awarded the top prize in the Junior Participation Initiative category by the ICC America's region in the 2010 Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards.[37][38]

This award in January 2011 came only days after Mike Young, the American fielding coach for the Australian national cricket team, had come out in public support for USYCA, modeling the organization's apparel at a photo shoot on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne, only hours before the Aussies were to take on the English in a One Day International match.[39]

In February, American Cricket Champ sets began to arrive at USYCA headquarters in Maryland, and were quickly redistributed to schools across the country.[40][41]

On 14 April 2011, USYCA held its first-ever Annual General Meeting.[42]

In June, USYCA donated cricket sets to sixteen Alabama schools that had suffered severe tornado damage two months prior.[43] In July, USYCA announced that 136 elementary and middle schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system in North Carolina were adding cricket to their PE curriculums, and the schools would also be offering students opportunities to play the game in other venues.[44]

In December, the USYCA purchased the USYCA Foxfire Field, one of the country's best cricket grounds, for $1 per year and will be the venue for countless youth cricket tournaments and development of youth cricket in the United States. The field is located centrally 20 miles south of Wichita, Kansas, and it had been the vision of USYCA vice-president Edward Fox, who personally funded the construction at a total cost of $120,000.[45]

USYCA announced the opening of its first national headquarters, and a dedicated phone line, in January 2012. The headquarters building is located in Glen Burnie, Maryland, near Baltimore-Washington International Airport.[46]

In July 2013, the first state championship was held in Maryland. The match was played between Germantown and Cockeysville, Germantown being the victor. The third place match was played between Bowie and Timonium, Bowie being the victor.[47] Maryland Deputy Secretary of State, Rajan Natarajan, attended the matches, and presented awards following it.

Association With Reebok

In March 2012, USYCA announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Reebok Cricket, the first of its kind for an international sports brand in the United States cricket market.[48][49]

Partnership With American Cricket Federation

On May 6, 2013, USYCA announced its partnership with the American Cricket Federation. The agreement gives USYCA the lead role in cricket development in age groups up to 13-Under, while ACF will coordinate the transition to older age groups. The partnership anticipated a substantial sharing of resources, communications, facilities and volunteer networks.[50]

National Youth Cricket Day

USYCA established 24 March as National Youth Cricket Day. This day was selected because it was on that day in 2010 that Venu Palaparthi wrote to Harrison on behalf of DreamCricket.com, making the initial offer of donated cricket sets: "We would like to support any initiative in Maryland that involves putting basic cricket kits in the hands of Phy Ed teachers. Our max budget is 10 kits – each costing $1000. So let us get this going." (The $1000 figure was a typo; he meant $100.) [51][52][53]

The USYCA logo, unveiled on 5 May 2010, was designed by Jamie Harrison and produced by his 17-year-old son, Zachary. It reflects the mission of USYCA through its depiction of a young girl bowling and a young boy batting; its color scheme of red, white and blue marks it as clearly American.[54]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "USYCA IS USACA's Newest Associate Member". USYCA. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  2. ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "Have Kit, Will Play". Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  3. ↑ "A Year Ago, There Was No USYCA. But Now...". New York Cricket. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "Member Organizations". USYCA. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "A Year Ago, There Was No USYCA. But Now...". New York Cricket. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  6. ↑ "Nonprofit: Advocates: About: The President's Challenge". The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Weathers, Ben. "Man shares passion for cricket with area kids". Annapolis Capital. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "2011 Annual General Meeting Minutes, President's Report". USYCA. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  9. ↑ "National Youth Cricket Day: A Letter from Jamie Harrison". Cricket Janata. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  10. ↑ "Slideshow: Highland Park Elementary Gets Cricket!". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "UMBC Summer Day Camp Kids Discover Cricket". Maryland Youth Cricket Association. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  12. ↑ "Athletes And Authors Camp Plays Cricket". Maryland Youth Cricket Association. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "USYCA Brings Cricket To County Public Schools". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  14. ↑ "Jamie Speaks To Baltimore City PE Teachers". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  15. ↑ "Kent County, Maryland Schools Get Cricket!". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  16. ↑ "Maryland: Queen Anne's County Schools Add Cricket". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  17. ↑ "C.C. Morris Cricket Library Announces Support For USYCA". Cricket USA Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  18. ↑ "DreamCricket.com pledges 100 free cricket kits for USA cricket development. Delivers 15 kits to USYCA.". DreamCricket. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  19. ↑ "DreamCricket Pavilion Shop Becomes "Official Equipment Supplier" to USYCA". Cricket USA Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  20. ↑ Harrison, Jamie. "At Cardinal Gibbons, We Played Cricket! (And Lost An Opportunity To Save The School.)". jamieumbc. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  21. ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "Have Kit, Will Play". Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  22. ↑ "A Year Ago, There Was No USYCA. But Now...". New York Cricket. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  23. ↑ "USYCA Membership Ratifies Constitution". Cricket World. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  24. ↑ "USYCA Elects First Board Of Directors". Cricket World. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  25. ↑ "USYCA Selects Michael Thomas As Treasurer". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  26. ↑ Simunovich, Peter. "Cricket at grassroots level begins to get traction, USACA gets involved". Cricket USA Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  27. ↑ "First Three USYCA Standing Committees Created". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  28. ↑ "Maryland's Prince George's County School Teachers Pad Up for Cricket". DreamCricket. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  29. ↑ "Video: Elementary School Students Discovering Cricket". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  30. ↑ "Eldersburg Elementary Adds Cricket; More To Follow". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  31. ↑ "untitled". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  32. ↑ "untitled". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  33. ↑ "USYCA Developing steadily; support from Damien Martyn and Nathan Bracken". Liberty Cricket. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  34. ↑ "USYCA Video Shoot And Cricket Toy Test". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  35. ↑ "Introducing Cricket To Children In The United States, Part 1". YouTube. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  36. ↑ "USYCA Is USACA's Newest Associate Member". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  37. ↑ "USA Wins Pepsi ICC "Junior Participation Initiative" Award". USACA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  38. ↑ "US Youth Cricket Association named Best Junior Participation Initiative by ICC Americas". DreamCricket. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  39. ↑ "Australian National Fielding Coach Mike Young Stands Up For USYCA". Cricket USA Magazine. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  40. ↑ "OCYCA Brings Cricket To School In Fountain Valley". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  41. ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "Have kit, will play". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  42. ↑ "2011 Annual General Meeting Minutes". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  43. ↑ "Tornado-Stricken Alabama Schools Get USYCA Cricket Sets". Cricket World. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  44. ↑ "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Partner With USYCA". Cricket World. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  45. ↑ USYCA Acquires Venue For National Youth Cricket Tournaments USYCA. Retrieved 29 December 2011
  46. ↑ "USYCA Opens National Headquarters In Maryland". Cricket World. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  47. ↑ "Germantown Wins Maryland Youth Cricket Championship". Cricket World. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  48. ↑ "Reebok becomes USYCA's apparel sponsor". DreamCricket.com. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  49. ↑ "US Youth Cricket Association signs deal with Reebok". Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  50. ↑ "USA Cricket: USYCA and ACF form partnership". DreamCricket. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  51. ↑ "National Youth Cricket Day: A Letter from Jamie Harrison". Cricket Janata. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  52. ↑ Della Penna, Peter. "America's first ever National Youth Cricket Day". Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  53. ↑ "National Youth Cricket Day – March 24". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  54. ↑ "USYCA Logo Unveiled!". USYCA. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
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