WICB Boss commits to renewed allegiance with stakeholders toward development

Jan 20, 2009 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin and Rawle Welch
President of the WICB, Dr Julian Hunte is adamant that the media is an integral stakeholder in the development of West Indies cricket. He subsequently undertook to enhance relations with this group while engaging in closer collaborations.
Mr Hunte shared these sentiments at a workshop organized to brief media operatives on issues arising out of  the just concluded two-day Board Meeting at the Buddy’s International Hotel, Providence East Bank Demerara, yesterday.
The meeting attended by other top executives of the WICB, included Vice-President Dave Cameron, CEO Dr. Donald Peters, Tournament Director Ernest Hilaire, Acting Secretary Stephen Camacho, Budget Co-ordinator Barry Thomas and Public Relations Consultant Ricardo Blackman, and outlined the many challenges that compromise the development of West Indies cricket and the counteracting ploys adopted to curtail such eventualities.
According to Hunte, apart from the need to discuss Board matters and plans for West Indies cricket, the principal objective of the meeting was to create a closer relationship with the media, an integral stakeholder in the development of the sport in the region.
However, Hunte warned that even though he values the work of the media, occasions would arise when his executives will be forced to withhold sensitive information in the best interest of the sport. “Notwithstanding this, we will seek to involve the media as an active stakeholder and provide the opportunities for you to be fully involved in West Indies cricket,” the West Indies cricket boss assured.
Hunte told media operatives that his executives were involved in fruitful discussions at the end of which a draft strategic plan that encompasses the next five years was formulated. He said that he viewed such an innovation as an absolute necessity because of the many years of stagnation of cricket in the region. “As such we saw a need to modernize, innovate and find solutions to the dilemma,” he said. The WICB President Hunte also assured that the 20/20 International Cricket Council (ICC) Tournament planned for next year will be run off on schedule.
Responding to reports of strained relations with the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) Hunt informed media representatives that his organisation is currently enjoying fruitful relations with this group. He said that the Board has always recognized the WIPA as the authentic representative of the players and has even contributed to the association’s coffers. He also said that since his administration acceded to office in June 2007, there have been no public issues with the WIPA. He said that such an eventuality does not completely signal an end to all disagreements since with the huge financial deals being discussed it is likely that his organization will encounter new challenges with WIPA.
Anticipating such occurrences, Hunte intimated that the WICB has stretched out an olive branch to WIPA. He said that he has invited WIPA to be a part of the West Indies directorate so that they may have a better understanding of the challenges faced by his organisation. “We will deal with WIPA within a specified framework so as not to damage relations, Hunte said.
Touching on issues that arose out of the Patterson Committee Report Hunte said that the committee made several recommendations. He said that eighty percent of these recommendations have been or are in the process of being implemented. He assured that Member Boards were instructed to review the recommendations and reconsider its applicability.
In the first part of the sessions the panel gave an overview of the WICB plans and presented an opportunity for the media to positively impact on the proceedings. During the second period the media was briefed on the decisions arrived at during the WICB Meeting. The media was then allowed to provide valuable feedback to the panel on earlier deliberations.
Preparations for the 20/20 ICC Tournament, additional initiatives, the financial projections for the future and the whole aspect of improving the relationship between the Board and the Media were also thoroughly discussed.
Meanwhile, three venues have been chosen for the ICC 20/20 tournament slated for April 23-May 10. A total of 42 matches between the male and female teams will be played in Guyana, Barbados and St. Lucia.
Hiliare said that he anticipates that hosting the joint tournament will pose unique challenges to the WICB but he reckons that it was also an exciting frontier for fans in the West Indies.
The tournament director opined that unlike cricket world cup the 20/20 tournament will seek to recapture the many features that the West Indian fans have grown accustomed. He spoke of the Carib Girl, tassa drums and other cultural features that has characterized West Indies cricket.
The occasion was also graced by the attendance of members of the regional media including representatives from St. Lucia, St, Kitts, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and freelance journalists.

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