Glamorgan County Cricket Club today confirmed that Steve Watkin has been appointed as the first Academy Director for the new Welsh Cricket Academy, which will be based at the Club's headquarters ground at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Watkin, 37 on Saturday, will formally retire from playing in order to take up the new appointment, though the Club will be retaining his registration.

Chief Executive Mike Fatkin said: "We have somewhat mixed feelings about Steve's appointment. On the one hand he has been such a fantastically loyal servant to Glamorgan since he made his debut fifteen years ago, not to mention one of the most consistent bowlers on the circuit throughout his career, but on the other we believe he is admirably suited to this new position. He is the ideal role model for young cricketers in Wales.

We have been working hard for some time to establish the concept of an Academy here in Wales and we're delighted that Steve has accepted the position. His appointment comes after a year spent putting everything in place and we've been very encouraged by the support we've received from both the Sports Council for Wales - who are investing a significant amount of money into the programme costs, and the England and Wales Cricket Board, who are licensing the academy as one of the first wave of eight that are starting up this autumn. The network of county academies will support the new National Academy set up this year.

The intention is to recruit six youngsters in the first year, rising to a maximum of nine subsequently, and provide them with as rounded a programme of training, coaching and advice that we can to help mould them into professional cricketers of the future. The Cricket Board of Wales has done sterling work in recent years in establishing a structure for junior cricket but the gap between when they leave the CBW umbrella aged 16 or 17 to joining Glamorgan as professionals has needed to be filled for some time. We are confident the Academy structure will enable the young talent coming through to be fast-tracked through the system and that they can be taught what being a professional or international cricketer is all about before they actually reach the ranks of the professional staff at Glamorgan.

There are some differences between the Welsh Academy and the others in England but we're delighted to have the Sports Council for Wales on board, with all the expertise and support that they bring, and the appointment of Steve Watkin as the first Welsh Cricket Academy Director is a significant boost."

Steve Watkin said: "It'll be a huge wrench giving up playing professional cricket as I have been involved with Glamorgan - not to mention with England and England 'A' - for some sixteen seasons but this was too good an opportunity to miss. The Club has said it intends to retain my registration as a player just in case I might be required to play but having thought about it long and hard I accept that it's an important job, with substantial money being invested in the scheme by the Sports Council for Wales, and I am really looking forward to the challenge of helping develop the next generation of professional cricketers. There's a lot of talent at junior level in Wales and I'm sure that the new Academy will only add to the development of the best young players.

I'd like to thank the Club for giving me this opportunity, but equally importantly I'd like to thank all of my team-mates and the players I've played with at Glamorgan throughout my career for giving me so much enjoyment. There are some obvious highlights, such as winning the Sunday League in 1993 and the Championship in 1997, not to mention a Lord's Final and a promotion last summer and playing and touring for England, but I feel very lucky to have enjoyed considerable success as a cricketer and I'm now looking forward to giving something back to a game that has been nothing but good to me. Hopefully I can bow out with a few wickets against Surrey!"

© Glamorgan CCC/CricInfo