By David Nagel
West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) President Rob Hansen sees his recent appointment as part of an interim phase that will see new talent and fresh ideas added to the league executive.
Hansen, who started playing cricket at Pakenham in 1968, began life as a cricket administrator when he was appointed secretary of the Berwick Pakenham Cricket Association in 1973.
He has since served terms as secretary of the WGCA for 14 years, was president for three, and most recently has been general manager and vice president of the league.
But Hansen sees this as an important opportunity for change, and urged clubs and members to become key pillars of the transition process.
“It’s time for the younger members of our association to put their hands up and be responsible for the future direction of cricket in West Gippsland, and owning what cricket looks like,” Hansen said.
“I very much see my appointment as an interim phase for the association as we begin to build for the future and make sure our competition is healthy moving forward.
“The coming years provide a great opportunity to grow clubs, build junior and female participation numbers and partner with stakeholders to strengthen sport participation more broadly.”
It’s been hard to ignore a negative sentiment that has building towards the WGCA executive in recent times, but Hansen said it was a key focus to take action and turn those thoughts around.
“We need to develop the lines of communication between the clubs and the executive, there’s no denying that,” Hansen said.
“The criticism has been that the communication has not been as clear and as easy-flowing as it should be and we acknowledge that as being the case.
“Sometimes the decision-making process is not simple, it is complicated by a number of factors, but it is something we are really focusing on improving.
“Being open and accountable is something the executive and the clubs need to work on moving forward.”
Hansen said another key focus would be the further development of the WGCA Senior Cricket Committee – that would oversee all aspects of senior cricket including complaints, discipline and involvement in the future structure of the competition.
“We have some wonderful players that would be great administrators scattered through our association and it would be silly not to utilise that knowledge, passion and experience,” Hansen said.
“At the same time, we totally understand that making decisions in an association as big as the WGCA can be stressful and put pressure on one individual, so having a committee of people alleviates that pressure somewhat.
“I have already spoken to some individuals that have been around the WGCA for a long time about being involved. I think those people would be ideal and help us do things better in the immediate and long-term future.”
One of the major focus points for the WGCA is the retention of current numbers of participation, and then growing those numbers, right across the board.
The WGCA’s Junior Management Committee and Senior Cricket Committee are currently being bolstered, while the new role of Female Cricket Coordinator will be appointed before the association’s affiliation meeting towards the end of August.
In 2020/21, the WGCA had 17 senior clubs fielding 68 teams in eight grades of competition.
The WGCA is particularly focused on the participation rates of the lower grade competitions – B to F grade – which last season provided 45 of the 68 teams – or 66 per cent of senior competition participants.
Hansen believes that are some key ways to make cricket more appealing for that particular demographic.
“We need to make sure that people are enjoying their cricket and it is not becoming a chore, because this is the area where we can really grow the game,” Hansen said.
“We are looking at several options for the lower grades, including the implementation of switch cricket, where teams would swap batting for fielding after 35 overs, and then repeat that process on day two.
“Hopefully things like that, and some other ideas we are swirling around, will help make cricket the sport of choice through summer.”
Hansen was appointed president at the WGCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday, 25 May.
The WGCA welcomed the emergence of Nicky Simpson (Tooradin) to the role of Fixtures Coordinator, with the WGCA’s goal of having 40 per cent of females on the Board of Management now closer to fruition.
Other members elected included Shane Dalton (Secretary), Aaron Straughair (Treasurer) and Mike McKenna (Umpires’ Advisor).
The WGCA is still to appoint a vice-president, who will coordinate senior cricket and work closely with the Senior Cricket Committee, while the position of Female Cricket Coordinator also needs to be filled.
Expressions of Interest for all roles can be sent to secretary Shane Dalton via email at wgca@asn.cricketvictoria.com.au or dalton.s.au@gmail.com
Two other presentations were also made at the meeting.
GameFace Director Glenn Carter outlined options available to clubs to sell their brand and to build membership, while Cricket Victoria Area Manager Jason Mathers communicated the strategies to unfold through the peak body to assist clubs and provide opportunities to grow cricket throughout the region.
