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Former England captain Mike Gatting launched a new ICC Europe coaching initiative, the European Coaches Association (ECA), at Lord’s Cricket Ground earlier today.

The launch took place as part of the ICC European Government and Administration Forum, a three day conference which is taking place from the 27th -29th March and which welcomes sixty key cricket administrators from twenty-seven countries across Europe to the home of cricket.

The initiative has been developed by the ICC European Development Program, which supports Europe’s non-Test playing nations, in association with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The ECA will act as a subsidiary of the ECB Coaches Association (ECB CA) and has been set up to improve communication to and between coaches within the Europe region outside of England and Wales, allowing them to gain information & opportunities to assist them in developing their coaching skills at all levels of the game.

Gatting, who took up a new role as ECB’s Managing Director of Cricket Partnerships last year, has acted as an ambassador for the development of cricket in Europe for many years. After the launch he commented,

“ECB's Strategic Plan is ‘Building Partnerships’, and the partnership with ICC Europe and ECB is one which was established over a decade ago. This partnership has become stronger and stronger and we are delighted that twenty seven European ICC members benefit from much that we offer.”

He added “Today's launch of the European Coaches Association will allow the Europe region to communicate more effectively with their coaches and further develop them with our help. ECB's Coach Education Programme has been delivering courses in Europe for 11 years now and this new Association will help to improve that programme further.”

Among its main aims the ECA professes that it will act as a forum through which its members can transfer knowledge, information and experience and voice their opinions on how coach education moves forward throughout Europe. The ECA will also offer support to each country cricket board to help it to set up its own Coaches Association, or where one is already present, act as a channel of communication between the Association and the ECB CA.

The ECA is open to all qualified coaches throughout the European region. Each country has a representative who will coordinate the scheme within their own country. A list of these representatives and further information on the structure and benefits of the ECA, together with how to join, can be found on the ECA pages of this website.