The Western Australian Cricket Association held its Annual General Meeting of Members last night at the WACA Ground.
WACA Members were provided with details of the Ascot Capital Limited/WACA joint venture redevelopment proposal that will ensure the WACA Ground remains the home of cricket in Western Australia and secures the financial stability of cricket in this State well into the future.
The proposed redevelopment will result in a stunning 30,000 seat stadium for international and domestic cricket, as well as residential, commercial, retail and entertainment opportunities.
WACA Chairman David Williams says an additional benefit of the master plan for the redevelopment of the WACA Ground was for additional uses besides being solely a cricket venue.
“There will be a ‘green belt' with Queens Gardens, the WACA Ground and Trinity College playing fields. We could see the WACA Ground being used as a ‘winter park' for the community, with activities such as coffee stands and jazz bands,” Mr Williams said.
“If our redevelopment is approved, we will basically have a clean piece of paper to work on in terms of what we build on the northern side of the WACA Ground, and it's pretty exciting for our Members.
“One would also expect that a redeveloped WACA Ground would fit the bill as a venue for other major community and sporting events.”
Members heard news of a further continuation of the turn around in the WACA finances after a bumper Ashes season.
The WACA posted a record operating surplus of $2,592,014 for the year, the second consecutive bottom line surplus for the Association.
But Mr Williams warned there would still be many challenges that lie ahead for the WACA over the next 12 months.
“Like a wise squirrel, it's time to put some acorns away for the winter because we enjoyed a one-off event in the last Ashes summer,” he said.
“We have to be conservative with our finances until we can see what lies ahead for us, not only with the redevelopment of the WACA Ground but also establishing our Centre of Cricket Excellence.”
Members also unanimously voted to award life memberships to former WA players Tim Zoehrer, Brendon Julian and Len Pavy.
Best known as one of the State's greatest wicket-keepers, Zoehrer represented Western Australia in 107 Sheffield Shield and 36 domestic one-day matches, as well as playing 10 Tests and 22 one-day internationals for Australia.
Julian played 87 Sheffield Shield and 54 domestic one-day matches for Western Australia, plus seven Tests and 25 one-day internationals for his country, as a dangerous left-arm swing bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman.
Pavy played seven first-class matches for WA from 1953-54 to 1955-56, and has been a prominent junior cricket administrator for over 50 years.
“Len has just retired from the Board, and he was playing Sheffield Shield cricket in the mid-1950s, so a 50-year span in cricket is an extraordinary achievement,” Mr Williams said.
“Tim was such a gifted all-round cricketer – a great bat, an accomplished wicket-keeper, and he was a useful leg-spinner as well, and it was great to see him get the recognition tonight.
“Brendon was such a relaxed and effortless all-round sportsman, and as an old Guildfordian I was delighted to see him recognised.
“In the 120-year history of the WACA there has only been 62 life memberships awarded, so with an average of one every two years, we don't give them away lightly.”
Finally, WACA Members strongly endorsed the latest round of WACA constitutional reform with the move to incorporation of the traditional Club Cricket Council.
In accordance with the WACA Constitution, 75% of eligible voters are required to be in favour of an alteration to the Constitution for it to be successful. After a secret ballot vote and the counting of proxy votes, the resolution was passed with 90% for the change and 10% against.
Mr Williams says the result is a further indication that Members were behind the Board's direction in moving to embrace the wider cricket family.
“What tonight's vote means is that the Club Cricket Council will remain relatively unchanged, except that they will come under the Incorporated Associations Act,” he said.
“It's pleasing that after a lot of time and a lot of debate the WACA District clubs wanted this themselves.
“We have affiliation with other cricket bodies, such as CricketWest and country cricket, and now we will have an affiliation agreement with the WACA District Clubs.”
The WACA Board would like to thank all Members who attended the Annual General Meeting for their on-going support.
www.waca.com.au
Heard from a WACA member that the development is still over 2 years away from happening. Typical
