The Isle of Man Cricket Association player pathway and high performance programme is responsible for developing players to progress to the highest level they can achieve.
The pathway’s evolution has led to significant changes to the player pathway to allow the player pathway to link in with the IOMCA Strategy (2023-2027) which has growing levels of participation in cricket. There are no longer age group squads at U11s, U13s and U15s, but there will be training blocks offered which will replicate the training previous squads have had for years and will be delivered by the same coaches. The main differences are more players can access it, as and when it suits them and the training will be fully focused on individual development.
The Player Pathway now looks like -
IOMCA Skill Development Programme (open training for U11s, U13s, U15s and U17s)
IoM u17 squad
IOMCA Emerging Players Programme
IOMCA Academy
Men's & Women's National Teams
The Isle of Man Player Pathway has three main objectives:
Player Development - above all else, the pathway exists for players to challenge themselves with and against players of a similar ability. To develop their current level of cricket, through quality match play and training.
Talent ID - A fluid process where identified players are selected to move onto the next level. Players get to see the standard and aspire to the next level.
Strong National Team - to develop a National Team who can compete at the highest level and rise up the world rankings.
All player pathway and representative fixtures and results can be found on: iomca.play-cricket.com/home All player pathway training can be found on the IOM Cricket website calendar as well as through the Ludimos app: www.iomcricket.co.uk
Changes to the Player Pathway 2023
The Isle of Man Cricket Association development of excellence pathway has had a number of significant changes to come into effect from this year. This is to allow the player pathway to link in with the IOMCA Strategy (2023-2027) which has growing levels of participation in cricket as its core objective along with the recent report from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), commissioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Further information can be found on the below player pathway update.
Whilst the document gives a broad outline of changes there will however be questions. A list of frequently asked questions will be added below. I would encourage reading the document fully before emailing any questions.
"Does this mean no more squads" - Whilst there will be no more age group squads, the training blocks offered will replicate the training previous squads have had for years and will be delivered by the same coaches. The main differences are more players can access it, as and when it suits them and the training will be fully focused on individual development not trying to create teams.
"So no opportunities to train as an IOM Player" - The Emerging Players Programme and the Academy will provide opportunities to prepare as full internationals of the future. This will require commitment along with players having the necessary skills and traits of future international players.
"Will there be trials for EPP and Academy" - No, there will be no trials for any high performance programmes. Players selected for these programmes will be based on conversations between coaches based on future needs for IOMCA full National Teams (men's and women's).
"How will players of all levels be able to train together" - The skills are the same, the players are different. The coaches are experienced and are capable of creating environments where players can train at a level required for their development not driven towards any particular level. This can be tailored to novices and experienced players.
"When will the sessions start and how much will they cost" - Dates will be released soon when we get confirmation from venues (written 22nd Sept). Costs will be kept as low as possible and will be balanced out between programmes run at King William's College and the National Sports Centre. Both venues provide opportunities to train elements essential to player development.
"Do you have to book on to all the training" - No you book when it suits you. Commitment was highlighted as an issue. People have lots of opportunities on the IOM across multiple sports and activities. Not all players can fit in winter training in a summer sport along with playing other sports or studying. This structure allows flexibility in commitment.
"This means no more off island opportunities" - There will be opportunities for National Teams as well as the Academy and EPP players. The cost of traveling off island was highlighted as a barrier along with difficulties in scheduling fixtures with suitable opposition for younger players. This hasn't always been possible to schedule ahead and know both ours and the opposition standards. There will however be on island opportunities where players can play competitive games.
IOMCA Partners with Ludimos
The IOMCA partnered with Ludimos in February 2022 and will be using the platform to create digital groups and manage access for coaches, players and parents by using Role-Based Access Control. There is the combination of adding feedback and drills to any video frame recorded at training. This will allow parents to see what players have been working on in training and players to continue learning away from organised sessions. There is the option to use text, drawing and audio feedback to communicate with players. Ludimos has the ability to measure bat speed, bowling speed and bowling pitch maps providing detailed feedback on performance.