SACA wants clubs to focus on producing own talent rather than recruiting imports

The South Australian Cricket Association has introduced a player points system for Premier Cricket, with a focus on producing more local talent.

The South Australian Cricket Association will introduce a player points system for its men’s Premier Cricket competition next season in a bid to encourage clubs to produce more home grown talent.

SACA has taken a leaf out of the book of other state club competitions and will allow its 13 First Grade clubs to field a maximum of 26 player points in any game from the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Home grown talent – players who have come through a club’s junior system – will not count against the points tally.

But high-ranking overseas or international players could count for as many as eight points against a club’s cap number while acquiring players from rivals could also prove costly.

The longer a player is at a club the lower his points ranking will be.

In Victoria’s Premier Cricket competition the player points system is capped at 24 while in Western Australia and New South Wales, clubs are only allowed to field one overseas player at a time.

Queensland cricket allows teams to field two overseas players.

Port Adelaide’s Cam Valente and Glenelg’s Jake Winter with last season’s men’s SACA Premier Cricket Cup prior to their meeting in the Division 1 grand final. Picture: Kelly Barnes

SACA’s new system has been rubber-stamped by its grade clubs after questions were raised about the high number of overseas imports, particularly from England, who played Premier Cricket last season.

Some clubs fielded as many as four imports in a game as they tried to secure precious premiership points in a bid to stay in Division 1 or earn promotion from Division 2 in the second season of SACA’s contentious two division system.

“It started with initial conversations about whether we needed to limit the amount of overseas players playing First Grade cricket here,’’ SACA Premier Cricket manager Jason Herriot said of the new rule.

“Some clubs raised it as an issue because they felt there might have been too many.

“But rather than just limit the amount of overseas players at each club there was a feeling that it would be better to encourage clubs to produce their own talent across the board, rather than have them head down the recruiting path.

“So the points system will help those clubs that do develop their own players. They will have more flexibility with their squads.’’

Adelaide’s Tejas Gill cuts for four. Picture: Supplied/SACA

Under the new points system, the highest valued players will be internationals.

The points number will dwindle all the way down to zero for homegrown players.

Points will be weighted for international and State players, including at four-day, one-day and Twenty 20 level, while the amount of First Grade matches a player has under his belt will also be considered, with categories ranging from yet to debut to 1-20, 21-49 and 50 plus games.

There is no limit to how many points a club can have in its squad but the number must not exceed 26 in any game.

“We’re not telling clubs how to do things, we’re just giving them the flexibility with how they want to do it.’’ Herriot said.

“The new rules are restrictive but not overly restrictive and while we want as many good players in our competition as possible we want a system that rewards those clubs who do produce their own talent.’’

Originally published as SACA wants clubs to focus on producing own talent rather than recruiting imports