As cricketing nations are gearing up for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales and as players are flexing their muscles in the ongoing IPL season, youth cricketers in the US east coast are getting ready for the 2019 East Coast Youth Cricket League (EYCL) season by exchanging their winter coats with cricket jerseys.
EYCL, the first ever season-long cricket league dedicated for youth in the United States, is now in its fifth season. Having started in 2015 with just six teams in one age group (U14), EYCL has now expanded to include 6 divisions across 4 age groups (U12, U12 Pairs, U14 A, U14 B, U16, U19). Players, coaches, and spectators at the ground and around the world (via live scoring on CricClubs) can look forward to witnessing countless runs, wickets, catches, and boundaries, with this season having 7 academies, 28 teams, 150+ games, and 350+ kids aged 9-19 all jam-packed into a 5-month season.
As impressive as these numbers are, what is even more impressive is the amount of hard work and dedication put in by the volunteers and academies behind the scenes. EYCL committees and academies have been in numerous discussions to ensure that EYCL provides a platform that (1) provides opportunities for all aspiring youth cricketers to play and (2) provides those cricketers with aspirations of playing professional and international cricket ample opportunities to develop their game. To that end, EYCL has introduced innovations into this season’s schedule. The creation of the U12 Double-Wicket League provides the youngest and most inexperienced youth cricketers the opportunity to play, enjoy, and learn cricket. The U19 League was created with an eye towards preparing our older and more experienced players for the ICC U19 World Cup and beyond.
And last, but not least, is the work that our parent volunteers are putting in to help ensure that this season will be even more successful than the previous years. Our parent volunteers are laying the mat, preparing the ground, marking the boundaries, and doing electronic scoring.
As April 27 draws closer, the final touches are being implemented. Playing conditions are updated, schedules are drafted, and live scoring is set up. All the action for 2019 EYCL Season can be followed at the EYCL website and EYCL CricClubs site.
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