The acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket, Matt Boucher, has revealed plans to raise the profile of the sport in the capital and is open to hosting Pakistan Super League matches in the future.
It’s been three months since Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) came on board and are now responsible for the day-to-day runnings of Sheikh Zayed Stadium and their surrounding facilities including the two Ovals and cricket academy.
The move, which was approved by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, now means Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, who were running the operations are no longer in existence.
A new logo has already been unveiled for Abu Dhabi Cricket and Boucher insists the new organisation have big plans to make cricket more appealing for all nationalities.
“We will be putting some international standard floodlights in the new Nursery Ovals, while also revamping the Zayed Academy a little bit,” he said.
“I think the Academy is brilliant and have done an excellent job so far but is very focused on the Indian market which is natural for Abu Dhabi. There are a lot of western expats that haven’t been touched and we see this as a massive growth area in the academy.”
ADSC have been successful in promoting sport to the Emiratis and hopes they will be able to take an interest in cricket too.
“Drawing in Emirati kids is a priority for us and we hope to use some of the tools and some of the intelligence we have learnt at the Sports Council. There is still a lot to do but we hope Emiratis will take up to cricket as well as women.”
It’s not just cricket they are focusing on. “On the Nursery Ovals we will soon have some football and junior rugby, just to increase the community activity in the club. We want the club to essentially be a community hub for Abu Dhabi,” he added, hoping that maintenance work could be completed by September.
Abu Dhabi Cricket Council, which sits under the Emirates Cricket Board, will still organise their own domestic tournaments at the grounds including the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
The 20,000-seater capacity has regularly hosted international matches including Pakistan’s home series’ as well as some Indian Premier League matches in 2014.
The emirate is yet to host any Pakistan Super League matches in its two-year history with games held in Dubai and Sharjah.
Boucher says Abu Dhabi Cricket would be open for discussions with PSL chiefs, saying it fits in their plans of making the city more
global.
“The PSL is fantastic it has got great media value,” he said.
“It’s perfect for the Abu Dhabi residents popular and we are open to having a conversation with the PCB,” he added.
