For years, the future for a promising young cricket player in America was capped at the end of his high school career. Due to the lack of a proper college system, many players retired from the sport to concentrate on their studies. But the “American Cricket Revolution” has finally hit the college campuses. You can now rely on your cover drive or outswinger to pay for your tuition fees.
The emergence of MLC and the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the US in 2024 has led to an increased demand for college-level leagues. If you are a player who wants to play cricket while earning his degree, there is no better time than now.
The Infrastructure: NCAA and American College Cricket
Two main associations lead the university cricket scene in the US: American College Cricket (ACC), and the National Collegiate Cricket Association (NCCA).
These two associations have changed “club sports” into very competitive leagues where success is highly valued. The ACC, for example, has developed from just a few teams to more than 70 universities playing cricket. These teams compete in regional competitions and a National Championship that usually gets televised across the nation.
The NCCA is no different in its approach to the game, collaborating with groups such as the Seattle Orcas (MLC). The result of these collaborations provides students an opportunity to showcase their skills and gain entry into the Minor or Major leagues.
The Reality of Cricket Scholarships
Cricket, unlike football or basketball, is not one of the main NCAA sports, so there aren’t any “Full Ride” scholarships for cricket in every big university. But times are changing, and we may see a combination of both soon.
1. Dedicated Athletic Scholarships
A select number of organizations have begun offering athletic scholarships for players of cricket as well. This includes Haverford College, which boasts of having the oldest cricket team in the United States. In addition, other institutions located in Texas and Florida have adopted this practice as well.
2. University-Specific Grants
Most colleges provide “Club Sport Scholarships.” For example, when you join universities with an overwhelmingly strong cricket team such as University of South Florida (USF) and UT Dallas, the sports department is bound to offer financial assistance so that the talented ones can cover costs of training, transport, and academic fees.
3. Institutional Diversity Scholarships
Cricket is a worldwide sport, so many American colleges capitalize on their cricket team by recruiting more students internationally. You might be considered for scholarships based on your academic merit or diversity as a foreign athlete or if you come from one of America’s best cricket academies.
How to Get Noticed by Recruiters
Getting onto an elite university team takes more than being good; it needs a plan of action.
- Create an Online Portfolio: You cannot hope that recruiters will always be in every local park. Video record your nets, matches, and game highlights. Make use of high performance video analysis to showcase your skill level.
- Compete in Sanctioned Tournaments: The best way to have your statistics recorded in the database is through playing in either USAC sanctioned youth tournaments or high performance academy leagues.
- Contact the Club Presidents: College clubs are run by students but advised by professors. Look up the contact details of the club president via their LinkedIn profile or through the college database towards the end of your junior year of high school.
The “Professional” Student-Athlete
With the increasing importance of the university system, this is not just playing around anymore. It is playing with your reputation. The MLC teams are starting to look at college players as possible candidates for “Domestic” players.
It is advantageous to play for an elite school since you get to use world-class training facilities, trainers, and fellow players who have similar career objectives like yourself.
Turning Passion into a Degree
Attending a particular college can change your life. When looking for colleges with a good cricket program, you don’t have to decide whether you want to hold onto your bat or open a book; you can major in engineering, business, or anything else and play in front of national scouts.
The university level league system in the USA is not a myth anymore, but an established fact. If you are talented enough, the next fence you jump over may very well be that at the college where you will earn money by playing cricket.
