The WDCU held a meeting of all its Committees and Disciplinary & Appeals Panel last night to discuss the Plan4Sport “Changing the Boundaries” review (the “Review“).  The meeting was held as soon as practicable after the publication of the Review.

The WDCU thanks everyone who came forward to share their experiences of racism in the game in the west of Scotland, and sincerely, and unreservedly, apologises to everyone who has experienced racism, or other forms of discrimination, during their involvement with cricket in WDCU competitions, and at WDCU member clubs.  The WDCU welcomes that the Review has brought into focus players’, officials’, and administrators’ experience of racism in our game.  The only appropriate response is to take on board the recommendations of the Review, and work to ensure that cricket in the west of Scotland is run, and managed, in an effective, actively anti-racist, way that allows the sport, and its administration, to reflect the wide diversity of the playing population.

The WDCU fully accepts the findings of the Review, which is the first stage in the process, and will now engage with sportscotland and Cricket Scotland in the next phase to implement fully the Review’s recommendations.

The WDCU is dismayed by the Review’s finding that there was “little confidence in the WDCU’s ability to manage cases of racism fairly and transparently”, but fully accepts, and respects, that finding.  The finding demonstrates a lack of confidence in the current WDCU leadership, and effectively revokes the mandate given to WDCU office bearers when they were last elected.

The WDCU Committees and Disciplinary & Appeals Panel Panel wholeheartedly endorse the need to allow our member clubs to establish leadership in which they have confidence by facilitating whatever changes in leadership they, acting on behalf of their memberships, desire.  To this end, the Committees unanimously agreed that all office bearers and committee members will step down from their positions at the earliest practicable opportunity.  In practical terms, this means that:

• Those whose function is suspended (the Disciplinary & Appeals Committee, and Panel), and any others who can practicably do so, will step down immediately.
• To ensure that the WDCU continues to function, the remaining office bearers, and committee members, will continue to serve in the meantime until an EGM can be held in line with the WDCU Constitution.

All involved recognise, and applaud, the bravery of those who have stepped forward to share their experiences of racism in our game, and acknowledge the damage racism causes to its victims, sport, and society in general.  The WDCU is committed to working for, and with, its membership in any way necessary to ensure that the bad experiences of the past are not repeated in the future.

 

The Executive and Committees of the WDCU
27 July 2022