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2008
Stanford 20/20 Plans Announced - two new countries included,
exciting additions. |
Coolidge,
Antigua – Wednesday, 4 July 2007 – Sir Allen Stanford
and the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors today announced
exciting plans for the 2008 Stanford 20/20 Tournament which
include the addition of two new countries to the programme,
the dates and fixtures for the competition, the expanded
Stanford Super Stars initiative, a Stanford 20/20 TV Show
and the promise of a further investment of US$100 Million
over the next 3 years.
The news came after the conclusion of a high-level meeting
between the Board of Directors and several Government
ministers from around the region who were brought in to
learn about the preparations being made for the 2008
Tournament and provide input in advance of the plans being
made public. The officials from Antigua, St. Kitts,
Guyana, Grenada, Nevis, Bermuda,
Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia, Cayman
Islands, Turks & Caicos, Montserrat,
US Virgin Islands, St. Maarten had the
opportunity to sit with Stanford, 11 of the 14 legends and
Ken Allen QC and hear how the Stanford 20/20 cricket
programme will benefit the region and their individual
countries both economically and socially.
Rev. Wes Hall Comments
“The Board thought it was imperative that we have the
support of the governments in the region for the Stanford
20/20 initiative. After all, it is the cricket programmes in
their territories that are benefiting from this investment
that Sir Allen is making,” said Rev. Wes Hall, Stanford
20/20 Board member and 2007 Sticky Wicket West Indies
Cricket Hall of Fame inductee. “We want them to buy into
this proposal and grasp our vision for West Indies cricket.
There is a strong spirit of inclusion abiding here and we
wanted the representatives here today to come in agreement
with us on the way forward for cricket in the West Indies. I
feel we have accomplished this and the future of cricket is
bright.”
New Countries - Cuba included
One of the changes to the Tournament format is the addition
of two new countries, Turks & Caicos and Cuba.
Both countries are affiliate members of the ICC since 2002,
and play in the ICC Americas Tournament. Cuba has a very
rich cricket history which can be traced back to the 1950s.
Their Under-15 team in particular is thriving. The Jamaica
Cricket Association has a strong relationship with Cuba and
has been working closely with the officials over there on
their game.
As was done with the 19 territories already participating in
the Tournament, Turks and Caicos will receive US$100,000 in
capital investment funding and US$180,000 to spend on
players and coaches development and support and maintenance
of facilities and equipment. However, Stanford explained, as
a result of policies that prohibit Stanford 20/20 from
providing cash to Cuba, the board will be offering support
and assistance for that country’s cricket development in
other ways to ensure it has the same advantages as the other
countries competing.
Stanford 20/20 has also committed development funding to the
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico but these countries’
participation in the Tournament itself has been deferred
until 2009 when it is expected that they will be able to
field a team made up of Dominican and Puerto Rican nationals
respectively. |
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Dates and
Programme
The dates for the 2008 Tournament – 25th January to 24th
February – were also revealed and the fixtures on display.
The random draw was carried out by the legends on Tuesday, 3
July. One match in particular that is sure to attract much
attention will be that of Antigua and Barbuda against the
winner of Match 5 (St. Kitts vs. USVI) as the Antigua and
Barbuda Stanford 20/20 Professional Team will make its
Tournament debut. Much has been made of this team who is the
test case for Sir Allen Stanford’s 20/20 Professional League
in the Caribbean. The team began its training on 2nd July
and could be seen at the Stanford Cricket Ground being put
through their paces by trainer Jawakie Jones and coach
Eldine Baptiste.
Perhaps the most exciting news was that of the much
anticipated Stanford Super Stars Tournament whose programme
has been significantly expanded after having been cancelled
in 2006. That Tournament will take place in June 2008 and
feature a Super Stars team comprised of the best players
from the 20/20 Tournament. Dependant on ICC and other
approvals four ICC teams will be invited to come to Antigua
to play against each other in a single elimination knockout
competition. The winner of those matches will play the
Stanford Super Stars for a jackpot of US$20 million.
“I’m committed to this and will be investing a further
US$100 Million over the next 3 years and at some point I
expect to make a profit, something that needs to happen for
the longevity of the programme and will provide essential
funding for West Indies Cricket,” a confident Sir Allen said
of the two Tournaments. “I have committed my resources and I
believe that within the next three years we will have a
world beating West Indies team again. The Stanford 20/20
programme and the Professional League that we are creating
are going to be the instrument that brings about that
success, the catalyst that takes us back to the glory days
of West Indies cricket.”
Another addition to the 20/20 programme is a TV show about
the Stanford 20/20 and all of the countries involved. The
show will launch on televisions around the region the first
week of August and air every two weeks right up until the
start of the Tournament in January. It will feature
interesting stories and information about the different
Stanford 20/20 participating countries, all of the
personalities involved in cricket around the region, stars
from the inaugural tournament and the legends.
Hosted by renowned international cricket personality and
last year’s Tournament’s roving commentator, Mike Haysman,
viewers will be taken on location around the region and
shown unique and interesting features and special interest
stories. There will also be in-depth profiles of the teams
and regular appearances by the 14 legends.
“As you can tell from these plans that we have announced
today, we are in this thing for the long haul,” said Sir
Allen. “We are expecting a huge return on our investment of
time, resources and money and we believe our investment is a
sound one. I have said over and over that this region has
the best cricket players in the world. We just need to
harness this raw talent, steer these players in the right
direction, reward their efforts and raise the standard of
professionalism all around. Only then will we see the
success that we have been hoping for. Let’s partner together
and make it happen.”
The government ministers and representatives were also in
attendance at the press briefing as were officials from the
West Indies Cricket Board and the Antigua and Barbuda
Cricket Association.
For more information about the Stanford 20/20, log on to
Stanford2020.com, email info@Stanford2020.com or call
345.623.8823. |
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