Emirates Cricket Board has today appointed Andrew Russell as the board's National Development Manager.
A South African national, Russell's focus will be on developing and implementing integrated plans aimed at recruiting and retaining players at all levels.
Russell will also provide clear coaching and playing pathways for the country’s cricketers.
In the role, Russell will develop strategic planning and management – including preparing a full audit of the game in the UAE, growth in participation – focusing on schools, academies and governing agencies involved in all levels of the game, and growth in performance – implementing an accreditation system for academies, as well as implementing a national tournament structure.
“We are very pleased to welcome Andrew to his role as National Development Manager,” said ECB CEO David East. “Andrew brings a great depth of playing and coaching experience to this role, and his leadership and interpersonal skills are very strong.
"These attributes, combined with his passion for growing the game, technical understanding and knowledge of the game (in the UAE) is of vital importance at this stage of our domestic and international development.”
A key component of the programme will be for players to have a clear pathway from grassroots to international cricket. It is a task that Russell is looking forward to working on.
“I’m very excited to be joining Emirates Cricket and am keen to start this new chapter in my career,” said Russell.
“This is an exciting time for cricket in the Emirates, and I see my first step is to integrate myself in to the UAE Cricket scene, and get to know the key people wherever cricket is being played.
"Through these introductions, and in gaining this understanding, my aim is to develop effective academy and school integration plans, and outline what a player pathway for each regional Council could look like."
Russell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Science (majoring in Psychology), as well as an Honours Degree in High Performance Management, both from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He has also completed various Cricket Australia, and ICC approved and accredited programmes.
Russell previously worked with Dubai Sports City as their High Performance Coordinator, before moving full time to the ICC Academy as ICC Global Cricket Academy Coaching Coordinator.
