Don Lockerbie's first day as USACA CEO - Stars & Stripes Cricket Podcast presented by DreamCricket

Summary: Don Lockerbie’s First Days as USA Cricket CEO

Don Lockerbie recounts his first day and early months as CEO of USA Cricket (USACA/USA Cricket), explaining how expectations, governance dysfunction, and board politics shaped his start.

Board Meeting Timing and Politics

Lockerbie accepted the role assuming the ICC would fund and enable a major push for U.S. cricket. He was told the board meeting would be around late March 2009 in Fort Lauderdale.

When he arrived, he realized the board had effectively been inactive because an earlier vote of no confidence left people in place. He was welcomed warmly in public, but he quickly faced uncertainty about whether he could:

• secure ICC funding and sponsorship money
• organize a worldwide tender for commercial rights

His Proposal and the Board’s Doubts

Lockerbie presented the same plan he’d shown the interview committee, including:

• pursuing ICC investment backed by U.S. cricket’s stamp of approval
• using the U.S. national team to attract major sponsors
• professionalizing coaching and athletes
• contracting a core group of 30–50 top U.S. players as full-time athletes
• building a player pipeline that accounts for “on call” needs of the next team

He also emphasized that the team needed exposure and international competition. But he learned the U.S. wasn’t even playing key West Indies nations they might have otherwise. Instead, he was told the team would first compete in places such as Italy, Abu Dhabi, Nepal, and Singapore, meaning partnerships would need to be built while trying to operate under these constraints.

A Chaotic First Day (Near Fist Fight → Board Collapse)

Despite initial progress, Lockerbie says the first day ended with a serious threat of violence between board members. The meeting unraveled into another vote of no confidence, leaving him stunned that this was happening on his very first day as CEO.

He avoided joining the board for dinner to avoid appearing to take sides.

Second Day Better; Deeper Political Pressure During Team Activities

The second day went more smoothly. During a weekend national team training camp, Lockerbie met players—while board members used private access to push competing agendas.

He describes the board as fragmented along ethnic/regional lines (e.g., West Indian, Indian, South Asian, Pakistani backgrounds, plus a British member). These divisions formed cliques that made decisions through regional perspectives rather than a unified national strategy.

Loss of Formal Governance Rhythm; “Constant Interference”

Lockerbie expected a standard CEO/board relationship—clear direction and periodic review. Instead, he says board members sent aggressive emails, often copying unrelated people to signal conflict.

In his first months, he received frequent emails about:

• what to do and who to select
• coaching decisions
• finances
• and even emails about Lockerbie himself that he believed other people didn’t know about

Moving Forward and Dealing With Internal Resistance

When asked whether the politics resembled sports governance issues he experienced elsewhere (FIFA/ICC/Olympics contexts), Lockerbie says it wasn’t “in his face” in those environments. He frames his response as moving forward rather than getting trapped in retrospective blame.

Relationship With Gladstone Dainty

Lockerbie characterizes his public relationship with Gladstone Dainty as cordial and supportive. Dainty invited Lockerbie to communicate his vision, showed him around the local cricket community, and appeared aligned with goals for excellence and funding—helping at ICC meetings and staying available to collaborate.

However, Lockerbie notes he can’t verify what was happening behind the scenes, suggesting the support may have changed over time—implying Dainty may not have ultimately supported him as expected.

Presenters / Contributors

• Don Lockerbie
• Peter (interviewer/host; name not fully provided in subtitles)