The United States Junior Cricket organisation is to hold twin events in October this year which could potentially have great significance for the development of cricket on both a national and global scale.

The USJC, with reported backing from the International Cricket Council and the United States Cricket Association, will stage the inaugural Global Development Symposium and Under 13 Invitational Cricket tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

The three-day Symposium will, according to the organiser, Hanley & Pertierra, "be a week of networking and benchmarking the best practices in junior and developing programs from around the world."

Complementing the Symposium will be an under 13 tournament, involving the age national teams of Argentina, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, France, Kuwait, Scotland and the United States.

Information from Hanley & Pertierra indicated the organisers have several long term ideals they wish to implement in the following versions of what they hope will be annual events.

"Our goal is to provide for developing nations a venue each year where all of cricket's best practices, educational resources and talents are at their disposal..

"The tournament is an invitational based format and we wish to include countries that will have direct benefits to their development programs by participating in our event....We want each youth to return to their country with a new motivation and spirit for cricket and all its attributes."

The organisers hope the support of the International Cricket Council will ensure positive responses from invitiations to potential guest speakers such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Michael Holding, Sir Richard Hadlee, Barry Richards and Ian Botham.

The ICC will maintain a Development Office which will be staffed on a 24 hour basis during the three day duration of the event.

The ICC's Global Development Manager, Andrew Eade, will be amongst the speakers.

The scope of the seminar is indicated by the topics of the various talks and seminars:

• Development of junior cricket programs in Full Member countries
• Structure of junior cricket in the development countries
• Role of the ICC Development Officers and National Development Manager
• 'Solving the Field & Facility Challenge' - Collborating with other sports for shared field access'
• The media influence on cricket

An advisory council has been established which will be headed by CO-Chairman, famed lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, and PGA Tour professional golfer, Nick Price, a former winner of the British Open and PGA Championship.

Other committee members include Mike Miller, founder of the United States Junior Cricket, and instigator of the successful California Youth and Don Oslear, well known former Test umpire.

The event also doubles as the signature fundraiser for the USJC and its national initiatives. The USJC will be establishing three new junior cricket regions in America. It intends to work with 'America's Promise', an organisation founded by Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

It will conduct a pilot programme in the Carolinas, and once that is established, the format will be adopted in two new prospective regions. With 'America's Promise' it will attain help from the YMCA, local facilities and USJC to manage junior cricket education programs in an after school format.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd