Happy New Year to all deaf cricket fans – January 2009...
from the chairman Stefan Pichowski
Restructure of ECAD
Following the recent Ashes series between ECAD and Deaf Cricket Australia, the AGM that took place at Hove early on this year. It is time to announce the re-structuring of ECAD.
Peter Dixon - Vice Chairman
Since taking over the new post as Vice-Chairman, Peter has already proved to be a popular and successful choice by ECAD’s members. Peter has agreed to lead ECAD from the front by organizing what proved to be a very successful 2008 Ashes tour in Southport, Colwyn Bay, Birmingham and Milton Keynes. Peter was very lucky to have a strong team to support him.
Peter’s background is very strong as a qualified solicitor, father of a current leading ECAD player, instrumental influence in his own cricket club, Southport & Birkdale.
I have no doubt that ECAD will continue to develop much further in years to come.
Peter has taken over from myself as the “Operations” of ECAD and will liaise between the ECB, ECAD’s committee, Development Officer and the management staff of the senior squads.
Lucy Riding - ECAD Secretary
secretaryecad@hotmail.co.uk
Lucy has taken over as secretary in recent times and already proven to be a very successful officer of the team by providing immense support to the committee and the management of the organization. For all enquiries, it will go to Lucy on email (details above) and she will correspond accordingly. Lucy must take the credit for helping to move ECAD onto the next level.
Martin Redshaw – Treasurer
Martin is now the longest serving member in our Management Committee and continues to oversee the finances at ECAD with various incomes such as the ECB grant; Awards for All and other lottery based funding. Martin also has the unrelented responsibility of ensuring minimal expenditure although it is extremely rare to learn that a Treasurer believes in heavy investments to ensure that ECAD support the staff and players. Martin proves to be that rare exception!
Stefan Pichowski – Chairman & Development Officer
Peter Dixon has agreed to takeover the new post as Vice-chairman to run the operations side of ECAD as long as I agreed to remain as the “face” of ECAD. I will be joining Les Townsend, ECAD President, in this unfamiliar rank. This is not sufficient to say that I have hung my boots! Peter has agreed to take on this role so that I can re-focus my efforts on the playing field while Peter supervises off the field and behind the scenes. ECAD and I are grateful to Peter that he can pursue this role.
This does mean that I will no longer pursue with the behind the scenes activities and I will delegate any enquiries onto Lucy Riding and Peter Dixon.
In the meantime, during the winter, I will be focusing on developing deaf cricket across the UK with training our members to become coaches, setting up a partnership with the National Deaf Children Society (NDCS), County Cricket Boards across the ECB, 4 new regional teams, re-vamp of the Deaf Cup and expanding on the increasing number of playing members of all abilities, ages, gender, ethnicity, communication skills, disability and level of hearing loss.
The future is exciting as ECAD continues to grow. The 3rd deaf World Cup is due in Auckland, New Zealand in December 2009 to January 2010 with a number of warm-up matches (including a friendly game against the MCC) and training weekends on either side of the summer.
All our efforts and goals will be focus on bringing the World Cup to England but also to develop our playing members of all abilities. The most important aspect as side from winning is to enjoy the sport. The world is steadily growing into a great recession and this makes it all the more importance to enjoy the events coming up in the next 12 months and put aside financial burdens and worries. ECAD and I wish everyone a merry new year and wish for a successful year to everyone.
Yours in sport
Stefan Pichowski
ECAD Chairman