To further strengthen the development of the level of cricket within the club, VCC has appointed Tom Archer as Director of Cricket with immediate effect. Tom will chair the Technical & Selection Committee and will focus particularly on High Performance (men’s, women’s and youth). Tom will remain on the Board and will eventually hand over his duties as Youth Chairman to a newly found Youth Chairman.
Chairman Richard de Lange explains, “Cricket in the Netherlands is developing rapidly. Look at the increase in membership of the Dutch cricket federation KNCB, the performance of the Dutch men and women on the international stage, the player contracts signed by the KNCB, and the appointment of Ryan Cook as Director High Performance by the same KNCB. This has such an impact on clubs, and certainly on VCC. We want and will have to find solutions more than ever to respond to that as a club. We do that with infrastructural investments (e.g. the expansion of the grass wicket that is currently taking place), but also by responding to it organizationally. We are looking for answers to strategic questions such as: How do we discover and develop talent? How do we provide good coaches? How do we respond to the demands placed on our internationals by an increasingly intensive international program? But also on a more operational level: what is our selection policy during the week as we prepare for a match? Because it is a new role, we will have to figure out together, how to fill the role properly in cooperation with the Technical & Selection Committee and the Board, but we are all convinced that Tom can handle this challenge just fine. Not only does he have a big heart for VCC, as a former semi-pro rugby and cricketer he knows the laws of top sport and has developed a large network in the sports world. In addition, he has developed as a cricket coach and has recently obtained his Level 3 cricket coaching diploma. In short, for us the ideal person to take VCC a step further in men’s, women’s and youth cricket.”
Tom himself is extremely enthusiastic about his new role, “It is a very interesting time in Dutch cricket and Voorburg Cricket Club has made a huge contribution to progress with current and ex-VCC players being an integral part of the Dutch teams at seniors and juniors in both men’s and women’s cricket. In the coming years, the expansion of the wicket, currently being realized under the expert leadership of Tom de Grooth, will enable us to further develop as a club and give our members unique opportunities to play cricket on the best grass wickets in the Netherlands. As we continue the journey as a club, it is important that we give all players the opportunity to reach their potential and provide them with the skills and knowledge to do so. There is a huge wealth of cricket experience within the current Technical & Selection Committee (including Tom de Grooth and Tim de Leede) and I look forward to combining my knowledge and skills with this group to maintain and build VCC’s reputation as a top club in continental Europe.”
Congratulations!
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