iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
USA Cricket, which was put on notice by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier in July for breaching two norms, has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. Johnathan Atkeison, who recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of USA Rugby, will join the cricket organization, bringing with him ‘over 15 years of national governing body experience in both high-performance, grass roots development and business administration’.
As per reports, the ICC action was initiated due to two counts: i) USA Cricket didn’t have a CEO, ii) USA Cricket didn’t fulfil the governance norms set by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Cricket will be a part of the 2028 Olympics, which will be hosted by Los Angeles. This makes it necessary for the governing body of the sport to earn the National Governing Body status to be able to take part in the games.
USA Cricket has been able to fulfil one of the two requirements so far.
Atkeison said of joining USA Cricket: “I’m honored to join the team at USA Cricket. It’s an incredible time for the sport here in the United States with the historic performance of the men’s national team in the recent T20 World Cup, the completion of the second season of Major League Cricket, and the first opportunity to showcase cricket in the Olympics here on home soil during the LA28 games. Our goal is to build a world-class organization to capitalize on that momentum, and firmly establish cricket’s position in the American sporting landscape.”
Atkeison comes to USA Cricket with a wealth of experience working in the national governing body environment. After spending the first phase of his career as a coach and staff member for national team programs, he began his administrative career as a development manager overseeing community competitions.
After helping USA Rugby through a financial restructuring in 2020, Atkeison then led the organization through a four-year period of rapid growth and development, highlighted by the transformation of USA Rugby’s membership system and digital properties, the establishment of a professional development team aimed at producing the next generation of national team players, and the awarding of the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups to be hosted in the United States.
Atkeison added, “The passion the cricket community has for the sport is amazing, and the enthusiasm is infectious. I can’t wait to get started.”
Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket, expressed: “USAC is excited to welcome Johnathan to the leadership team. We anticipate a close collaboration with him to enhance and broaden the organization’s mission and purpose in serving the cricket community nationwide. With promising growth prospects on both Men’s and Women’s Cricket horizons, there is optimism that Johnathan will make valuable contributions towards these endeavors.”
The national team left the world of cricket impressed with their performance at the ICC T20 World Cup. USA defeated Pakistan and gave India a tough fight to reach round two in the competition, surpassing expectations from fans.
