da wazamba： The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Rodney Marsh asDirector of its new National Academy
da realbet： ECB Media Release29-Jul-2001The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Rodney Marsh asDirector of its new National Academy.The former Australian wicket-keeper, who relinquishes his role as Directorof the Australian National Academy and Coach to the Australian Under-19team, will be responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the Academy andwill act as Head Coach to the Academy players. He will be supported by JohnAbrahams, Assistant Coach, and Nigel Laughton, National Academy Manager.ECB Performance Director, Hugh Morris, said: “I am delighted. This is greatnews for cricket in England and Wales. We have recruited someone who notonly was a great player in his day, but who, more importantly, has helpedmake the National Academy in Australia the success it is today. We believehe is the perfect man to head the ECB National Academy and develop our mosttalented emerging cricketers.”Marsh, who signed with the ECB on Wednesday 25 July, said: “The Academysystem has been fantastic for Australian cricket and I am sure that the samewill apply to English cricket. It excites me to think that we can have astrong England team as a result of hopefully some of my labours.”My major target over the next three years will be to develop a base ofperhaps 20 players who, in three, five or seven years’ time, will be verygood Test Match and One-Day International cricketers, so that when theselectors sit down to pick a side it will be damn difficult to choosebetween them.”The ECB National AcademyThe ECB National Academy (ECB CA) is currently the highest-funded singleproject in the ECB’s World Class Plan, requiring approximately 25% of its£2m annual budget – £500,000 p.a.The aim of the National Academy is to identify and develop players,predominantly aged between 19 and 23, who have the potential ofrepresenting, and winning games, for England at the highest level of thegame – senior Test Match and One-Day International level.PhilosophyTo identify and select the most talented cricketers, and develop themthrough excellent coaching and support services in excellent facilities inorder for them to achieve their potential.ConceptThe concept has been developed from research undertaken over the last twoyears into all the best components of the most successful cricket academies,and indeed academies from other relevant sports, around the world. Theprogramme will be centrally co-ordinated, designed, managed and delivered bythe ECB Performance Department.The National Academy will deliver individually tailored developmentprogrammes, which provide selected cricketers with the opportunity offulfilling their potential. The Academy will be staffed with high-qualitytechnical coaches, and supported by some of the best sports scientists andmedics in the world. It is hoped that it will become the most innovativeand advanced technical development programme in the world.ObjectivesTo select players who have the potential of winning matches forEngland;To provide each player with an individually tailored developmentprogramme;To provide each player with a comprehensive and individuallytailored sports science and medicine programme;To provide a challenging competitive programme which reflects abalance between preparation, competition and restTo provide dedicated coaching and support staff whose common goal isexcellence both on and off the field;To provide excellent facilities to deliver the programme;To provide an efficient, effective and accountable administrativestructure which delivers the programme;It is hoped that by 2007, 95% of England players will have beenthrough the National Academy structure.StaffingIn addition to the National Academy Director (chief coach), Assistant Coachand Manager (administrative post), there will also be an Information andResearch Manager (to be recruited in 2002) who will be responsible forproducing and maintaining a comprehensive video library on the world’s bestteams and players. A number of specialist coaches and other support staffwill be used on a part-time basis.Programme – Winter 2001-2002The Academy will open in November 2001 and, for the 2001-2002 winter, willbe based at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA) in Adelaide,Australia, which is recognised as the leading Cricket Academy in the world.The ECB will offer Academy contracts for up to 16 players in 2001. Theseplayers will be selected in early September by a panel of selectors,comprising the current England team selectors as well as ECB PerformanceDirector, Hugh Morris.Before the players depart for Australia, they will meet for a week’spreparation at RMA Sandhurst in mid-October.The players are due to depart for Adelaide on Saturday 27 October 2001 andthe programme will finish on Friday 15 March 2002. There will be a monthbreak over the Christmas period when players will return to the UK.Individual tailored programmes will be developed for each player to addressthe areas of technical development, mental development, tacticaldevelopment, physical development, and lifestyle management. Players willuse the facilities available in Adelaide as well as, on occasions, those atthe Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.The ECB NA will play a number of competitive fixtures both before and afterthe Christmas break. It will contest four-day matches against the CBCA andAustralian State 2nd XI teams, and will also play in two one-day tournaments.The Academy players will follow a 12-month training and developmentprogramme. This means that, for the domestic season, goals and targets foreach player will be agreed by Academy Director, County Coach and player, andthese will be monitored by the Academy Director.Winter 2002-3 onwardsThe ECB and Sport England are hopeful that Bisham Abbey will act as the basefor the National Academy from the winter 2002-3 onwards, and this isdependent on gaining planning permission for the proposed facilities. Inthe event that planning permission is not possible, the ECB is currentlyundertaking feasibility studies into alternative sites. Decisions on thefuture base for the ECB NA will be made in due course.Hugh Morris said: “The Academy is a major new initiative for the ECB. Itwill build and improve upon our successful A Team programme by providingplayers with a clearly defined development programme which will be tailoredtowards each player’s individual needs.”We have said that players between the ages of 19-23 will be chosen for theAcademy, but clearly we need to be flexible on this because we do not wantto deny ‘early maturers’ or ‘late developers’ the opportunity of benefitingfrom the programme. I do anticipate, however, that nearly all futureEngland players will have been through the National Academy structure.”BackgroundThe ECB is working in partnership with Sport England to develop cricketfrom the playground to the England Test side. In December 2000 SportEngland approved the ECB’s 10-year World Class Plan, and agreed funding ofup to £2 million per annum, for initially the next four years. SportEngland is committed to supporting the ECB in its aim of producing the bestcricket development infrastructure in the world by 2007.Rodney MarshMarsh, now 53, played 96 Test Matches for Australia as a wicket-keeper andbatsman. He is placed second in the all-time wicket-keepers list fordismissals (behind Ian Healy) with 355 victims – 343 catches and 12stumpings. He scored 3,633 runs at an average of 26.51, which included threecenturies and a top score of 132.
