EDM in Sweden

The EDM visited Sweden over the weekend of 10-11 November, taking in five different club grounds in the greater Stockholm area and meeting with key personnel at these clubs along with the Mayor of Rinkeby. He also addressed a record number of club members at the AGM where the recently introduced five-year development plan was to be considered.

The EDM was impressed with the efforts made by the board over the past year, and particular mention must be made of Chairman, Naveed Hashmi, Jason Beer and Marcus Bringzen for their determined efforts relating to youth development and the introduction of Swedish born players into the leagues.

Many of the grounds visited met with the approval of the EDM, although a number of the concrete surfaces needed to be levelled prior to the start of the new season. As is the case in a number of European park grounds, the length of grass does not assist nor encourage the playing of shots along the ground, although it does lead to some terrific stroke play of the aerial kind.

The EDM visited an indoor facility used by Stockholm A.C.C. and watched a very impressive Saturday evening practice which included a number of Swedish born players, many of whom had recently represented their country in Austria at the ECC Trophy.

A significant meeting was held with the Mayor of Rinkeby, a borough which contains a number of the grounds, with potential to develop further. The EDM felt that there was scope to provide EDP personnel to become actively involved in the annual sports weeks in schools and to assist a number of local adult and youth initiatives. The acquisition of a long-term lease of grounds, which would mark an exciting chapter in the long-term sustainability of cricket in the local communities, was discussed.

Following a whistle stop, yet highly informative tour of Stockholm, the EDM journeyed to the homebase of Jinnah CC for the AGM, where he was given the opportunity to highlight the five major goals of the ICC Development Program and to explain that support from the EDP was forthcoming for initiatives that centred on youth development. He stressed the need for adult league cricket to offer the chance for all native born Swedes and youngsters to compete and called for a greater degree of training of and support of umpires.

All member clubs were given the opportunity to express their opinions on the five-year plan and the effectiveness of the Board over the past year. The majority of clubs saw merit in the five-year plan, praising the intention to involve Swedish born and younger cricketers. The overwhelming feeling however, was that the plan needed to be reviewed extensively by all clubs, with a report and recommendations submitted to the newly elected board before the plan could be effectively implemented over the next two years.

The EDM left prior to the voting of the new Board yet subsequently learnt that Govindarajah Jeganmohan had been re-elected as chairman - the position he previously held between 1998-2000. The EDM wishes the new Board every success in advancing the cause of cricket development throughout Sweden.

Here are the appointments to the Swedish board:

President: Govindarajah Jeganmohan (Spanga)Secretary: Marcus Bringzen (SACS)Board Members: Sundanum (Svea)Fakhar (Pakistan)Anwar Sul. (Goteborg)Masood (Mamo)Steve Smith (Stockholm)