USA Cricket today announced that both Eric Parthen, Project Manager, and Wade Edwards, Project Officer, will leave the organization with effect from the end of the year. Hired by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in September 2016, Parthen and Edwards were the U.S. staff on the ground that led the creation and development of USA Cricket over the course of the last three years. Their departure is in line with the planned transition to the new leadership of USA Cricket including the election of the inaugural Board of Directors last year, the recent national office move to the San Francisco Bay Area, and the hiring of the organization’s first CEO, Iain Higgins.
Higgins commented, “With the support of both the ICC and U.S. cricket community, Eric and Wade have played pivotal roles in establishing USA Cricket as an organization founded upon best practice from both U.S. Olympic governing bodies as well as other cricket national federations. Their efforts to keep the cricket moving forward in the United States during the past few years are appreciated by all and, ultimately, led to USA Cricket being formally recognized as an Associate Member by the ICC in December 2018. In addition, they were instrumental in supporting the progression made by the Men’s team from World Cricket League 4 to One Day International (ODI) status and the Women’s team’s qualification for two global qualifiers in 2019 and 2020 respectively.”
“Having been involved in sport administration for the last 23 years, I can honestly say I am most proud of what has been accomplished both on and off the field of play working together with the ICC, the U.S. cricket community and all the dedicated athletes, staff and volunteers,” said Parthen. “Being part of a team that built a governing body from the ground up and which is capable of leading the sport in this country for decades to come was an honor and I look forward to watching the success of USA Cricket long into the future.”
“I am extremely grateful to have been part of the project that has established USA Cricket over the past several years with the support of many committed volunteers within the cricketing community,” said Edwards. “I feel particularly privileged to have played a role across the high performance function during our rise over the past few years, working closely with the team coaches, players and support staff. I can’t thank all involved enough and I wish USA Cricket and its current and future national teams all the very best.”
Higgins concluded, “These changes have always been envisaged as part of USA Cricket’s move to the San Francisco Bay Area and its overall restructuring, and new opportunities to work for USA Cricket will be announced later today. I am very appreciative of the support that Eric and Wade have provided to the ICC’s ‘Project USA’ over the past few years and during my recent transition into the new role. We wish them all the best for the future.”
