American Pro Cricket – for the Professional in You !

by David Sentance

Lloyd Jodah, known as the founder & President of American College Cricket, in the past 6 years has taken Cricket to amazing, but largely unheralded heights. Whilst doing so he has shown a flare for the integration of cricket in media ranging from newsprint (New York Times, NY Daily News, Washington Post etc), web-streaming, TV Asia, culminating in live ball by ball coverage of the American College Cricket Championship Final between Auburn and USF on ESPN in 2014- the first time ESPN had broadcast any cricket played in the USA, and the first non-International match.

In a statement Jodah today announced the establishment of a new & separate Initiative:

“American Pro Cricket will be focused on developing a semi-professional, and ultimately a professional level for ALL cricket players in the USA to aspire to. It will give the talent who have graduated from universities, who played in American College Cricket, a platform to continue playing competitively if they wish. American Pro Cricket will conduct Drafts of players from American College Cricket who are draft-eligible : they must have graduated with an Undergrad degree.
Existing “franchise” teams and players, who have never played in American College Cricket will also be able to participate in American Pro Cricket tournaments.”

“Sports in the USA have historically developed from the college level, and I saw that cricket had no college infrastructure so 6 years ago we began to develop that; with a strategy to eventually build a professional level, so that’s what American Pro Cricket will do, on the foundation set by American College Cricket.”

Jodah’s experience is vast, and he has brought many innovations into cricket in the US. He has :

– organized & managed 34 tournaments in the past 5 years including some of the largest the world has ever seen : the American College Cricket National Championships which in 2010 was 47 matches in 4 days, in 2011 67 matches in 5 days and in 2012, 2013 & 2014 54 matches in 5 days each year. Since 2011 that experience has included various aspects of TV production, including Executive Producing and commentary.

– secured agreements that included TV production & broadcast by TV Asia, major sponsorship by Coca Cola (the first major American company to sponsor any domestic cricket) & Dish Network.

– enabled large scale tournaments by scheduling 3 matches in a day, with 3 hour time limits, beginning in March 2010

– created or motivated over 60 university cricket clubs.

– from 2012 began mobile electronic scoring using Crichq & smartphones and by 2013 was probably the first in the world to eliminate paper scoring.
– some of the best cricket photos anywhere have been from American College Cricket tournaments, a testament to the attention to detail paid by Jodah.

– brought ECB Umpire Billy Taylor to the USA to develop an American College Cricket officiating cadre

The Management Team includes 3 key people who have worked with Jodah for sometime : David Sentance (since 2010), Amir Siddique (2011), Jamie Paul Lloyd (2012). More info on key supporters, plans and the first tournament will be released later.

Jamie Paul Lloyd brings vast experience from managing Crichq’s operations in the US & Canada, his years as a Cricket Administrator & Coach in New Zealand, & extensive travel.
Amir Saddiqui has been a Tournament Manager for American College Cricket since 2011. He’s now the Smart Choice Moosa Stadium Manager and Secretary for the Houston Cricket League.

David P Sentance is the author of “Cricket in America 1710 – 2001, now working on the follow-up. With over 50 years as a Cricket Player, Administrator & Coach, in Kenya, England & America, he has developed pioneering projects such as coaching cricket in the Inner city areas of Watts & Compton, and has played in some of the world’s top venues as a “Golden Oldies” cricketer. All whilst working as a Financial Consultant. He is an American College Cricket Hall of Famer, & on the ACC advisory Board.