The new boss of Cricket NSW is on a mission to win back the sport’s disconnected fans – a priority he pitches above getting more victories out in the middle.
Andrew Jones, the ex-head of strategy at Cricket Australia, was on Friday confirmed as the organisation’s new chief executive.
While labelling it his “dream job”, Jones comes into the role during a tumultuous time for cricket in NSW.
His predecessor, Brad Gilbert, stood down in January after 11 years at the helm amid complaints of poor communication and player disharmony.
It followed last season’s sacking of Blues coach Anthony Stuart, which prompted suggestive calls from former NSW great Brett Lee for Gilbert to also get the axe.
But Jones says he will bring a fresh perspective to Cricket NSW that centres around the needs of fans and players.
“My grandfather’s a cricket buff, my father’s a cricket nut, I grew up with cricket and I absolutely love it. It’s the thing I think about most in life,” he told reporters on Friday.
“We want to represent the fans properly and give them teams they’re proud of and be an organisation that they feel is representing the people of NSW, from the coast to the back of Bourke, in the right way.”
Jones said his top priority was to grow the game across all forms – from the NSW Blues (men) and Breakers (women), to Sydney’s two “struggling” Big Bash franchises, the Sixers and Thunder.
“My second priority is to win, make sure that the Blues, in particular, return to their winning ways,” he said.
Jones shied away from setting a timeframe on turning around the sport’s on-field fortunes, but was confident his vision would gain traction quickly.
“I think we can come back quickly,” he said.
“…We’re not going to win it every year, were going to try, but they need to fight, they need to play hard and they need to give people a team that they’re proud of.”
A large part of his strategy will focus on nursing the aspirations of current players, but he’s also keen to get input from past players.
“They are part of the fabric of NSW cricket and they deserve to be listened to and understood and have influence, so I’ll definitely be reaching out to them,” he said.
“We all want the same thing. Reasonable minds differ from time to time on how to achieve that, but I will be absolutely willing to listen.”