Grade Cricket

[maxi]

May come as a surprise to some but a lot lads want to play for grade cricket clubs and not community clubs and there’s lots of stories of lads starting in the fourths or thirds and developing into good first grade cricketers
If someone wants to play turf cricket for a grade club good on them. Grade cricket needs more good club people who are just happy to represent their club
Quite often it’s the lads who come through juniors and want to stay to their club and play with their mates. Cant stop that happening

[tigerpie]

I can't speak for all atca clubs but we have no relationship at all with our local grade club.
Probably what sealed that was them trying to steal our second ground from underneath us a few years back. It just smacked of pure arrogance and would've broken us as a turf club.

Grade clubs should be the elite pathway to first class cricket with only the very best talent playing.
If your game is not suited to a grade district standard or you are a very talented junior on your way then grade cricket shouldn't be for the average cricketer just because his mates are there.
That bloke should be playing a or b grade community cricket.

I know this doesn't help the business plan of the clubs but something has to give.
We are garbage at shield level and have been for far too long.

[Aerie]

I can't speak for all atca clubs but we have no relationship at all with our local grade club.
Probably what sealed that was them trying to steal our second ground from underneath us a few years back. It just smacked of pure arrogance and would've broken us as a turf club.

Grade clubs should be the elite pathway to first class cricket with only the very best talent playing.
If your game is not suited to a grade district standard or you are a very talented junior on your way then grade cricket shouldn't be for the average cricketer just because his mates are there.
That bloke should be playing a or b grade community cricket.

I know this doesn't help the business plan of the clubs but something has to give.
We are garbage at shield level and have been for far too long.

A priority should be good relationships with the community clubs. It benefits both.

I reckon you can go one of two ways if things are to change.

Either have every player aligned with a community club, where they pay subs and play if they don't make the grade. Then have a streamlined Premier Cricket comp (say three juniors grades Yrs 7/8, Yrs 9/10, Yrs 11/12) plus an A Grade and B Grade. Funded by SACA/Community Cricket.

Second option is to have bigger clubs where you have a larger social gathering and larger volunteer pool. You can fund your own facility upgrades. Pay your own coaches/players.

Mergers are always being discussed between grade clubs, but at the end of the day, besides the initial kick you get from a combined playing pool and financial bonuses, 15 years down the track you're in the same position as every other club you're playing against. If a merger needed to happen, I always thought a merger between a premier club and a turf club would be better. One social facility to take care of with heaps more people using it. One club to stay at your whole life to play forever and socialise/volunteer. The premier club and turf club could still maintain identity on field.

Perhaps a combination of the above is the future? Big cricket hubs where clubs share the profits from the social facility and costs are metered out to facilitate a high level program as well as provide facilities for everyone to play, if they choose to.

[Eagles2014]

Tom Cooper named new coach of Woodville, excellent appointment.

[Tony Clifton]

Grade club ATCA sides would be past player/veterans teams wouldn't they? Not really a 5th XI. I actually reckon a Premier "veterans" competition would go alright. Handful of games spaced out over the season.

Great to see Tom Cooper take the reins at Woodville. The more first class players involved at grade level the better.