ON 31 MARCH 2023, I resigned from my position as Chair and Director of Cricket Scotland Limited. I fundamentally disagree with the way sportscotland is operating the sport. I believe its priority is to meet the demands of a lobby group and a handful of individuals associated with them – even if that means the wider sport and community will be negatively impacted.
Since day one, and as I mentioned in my Chair update, my mission has been to rebuild the sport holistically for all stakeholders and ensure fairness for all. Tackling the findings from the Changing the Boundaries report was my top priority but it was clear that the findings were not the only issues that existed at Cricket Scotland. It would have been negligent as the Chair of Cricket Scotland Limited to ignore these and focus on solely tackling the findings from the Changing the Boundaries report.
In the interests of everyone playing cricket in Scotland, the team tackled all issues at once including the findings from the Changing the Boundaries report. In less than 6 months, we saved the firm from potential insolvency, offered our women’s team paid contracts for the first time, published a governance review, secured innovative ways for our international teams to play more cricket, made substantial progress against the Changing The Boundaries recommendations, signed new commercial deals, rebuilt internal departments and engaged with the wider cricketing community. I personally held over c.100 meetings with stakeholders.
Recent events have, however, made it clear to me that sportscotland and the lobby group have little desire to rebuild and improve Cricket Scotland holistically. They are making decisions in fear and to satisfy the lobby group and the individuals connected with them. They are not doing the right thing for the wider Cricketing community in Scotland. This is due to the political leverage the lobby group hold over sportscotland and I was not prepared to stand by this any longer. It is my professional opinion that the lobby group will not be satisfied unless all financial and human resources are dedicated to tackling the findings from Changing The Boundaries to the exclusion of other concerns. If this happens, Cricket Scotland will likely cease to exist and the wider cricketing community will gravely suffer.
I can understand why sportscotland may feel trapped. Over the past 6 months, individuals connected to the lobby group have harassed me, mocked me publicly, and tried to influence my decision-making through emotional blackmail. Given they congratulated me when I was appointed, it didn’t make sense to most people. Why did they change their view so quickly?
The reason is I spoke to people they told me not to speak to. They thought they were getting a “puppet” they could control. Unfortunately for them, I stood by my core values of fairness for all and engaged with everyone. It would have been negligent as the Chair of Cricket Scotland to not speak to all stakeholders involved. Whilst the individuals they told me not to speak to may have said some things in the past that I do not agree with, it should not stop the Chair from consulting with them. We live in a democracy and to understand the situation, all voices must be heard.
Additionally, individuals linked to the lobby group have also tried to emotionally blackmail me into appearing on a podcast run by a member of their lobby group. I was informed it “might not be a good look if you decline it.”
The Cricket Scotland Limited Board is under constant public pressure to be accountable for past equality and diversity referrals (complaints) but has no control over getting them resolved as the current phase is being led by sportscotland. It is negligent to all involved to allow these referrals to go unresolved for any longer. I am also concerned about the over-involvement of the lobby group and the lack of objectivity in the referral process, which casts doubt on its legitimacy.
To be clear, I believe lobby groups are needed in society. They can help drive accountability; however, if they have favoured access and are the only lobby group involved, this becomes unfair to others who have no such people representing them.
Stepping down from the position of chair is sad. I raised my concerns directly with sportscotland and we worked hard to resolve the matter privately. I care about the sport and genuinely worked tirelessly with the team to improve it. We were working on initiatives to develop cricket in Scotland including new commercial relationships, EDI training, a new fixture program with full-member countries, overseas tours, investment into the domestic and women’s game and development of our young cricketers.
In stark contrast to the lack of support I have received from sportscotland, I have been humbled by the support provided by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It provided Cricket Scotland with a strong letter of support recognising the significant progress we had made under my leadership following my 6 Month Chair update published on 22 March 2023, which was heavily criticised by the lobby group. I am also grateful for the support provided by the international cricket community, the Cricket Scotland Board, staff and the Scottish cricket community.
I wish Cricket Scotland all the best for the future. I believe I can better serve cricket in Scotland in other ways such as through private investment. It is clear to me Cricket Scotland has tremendous potential. The women’s game is one of the most exciting opportunities in global sport and several partners would like to invest for as long as the game is free from politics. It needs to be kept that way.
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