The ICC Development Program was launched in 1997 with the aim of developing cricket into a truly global sport by fostering the game in the ICC's existing Associate and Affiliate Member countries, and by attracting new Members.
Due to the success of this program, the number of Members has more than doubled since its inception. The ICC now has 101 Member countries including 10 Full, 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate Members. The overall Development Program is managed by the Global Development Manager, Mr Matthew Kennedy, who is based at the ICC headquarters in Dubai.
Although global in its objectives and aims, the program is delivered through five regional offices; namely Africa, Americas, Asia, East Asia-Pacific and Europe. Each region is staffed and led by a Regional Development Manager, while each ICC Associate and Affiliate Member is aligned to a regional office. ICC Full Members also provide support to each regional program. Regional focus areas with Members include education (including coaching, umpiring and administration), provisions of equipment, resources and promotional materials, facility development, elite player programs and the coordination of regional tournament structures for men, women and junior players.
One of the key areas of the ICC Strategic Plan is sustainable growth. In order to achieve this, the ICC Development Program will be working closely with Members to achieve results in five key areas which include increasing numbers of junior players and competitions, improving governance and administration, raising 'non ICC income,' integrating women's cricket and improving standards of play and education.
In regards to global tournaments, the Development team is responsible for the running of the ICC's four day first class competition, the Intercontinental Cup, and the ICC's World Cup Qualification structure, the World Cricket League (WCL). The WCL provides all ICC Associate and Affiliate members with the opportunity to compete in the World Cup every four years through regional qualifying events that lead into five global divisions.
In addition to promoting participation across the globe, the Development Department is also responsible for the ICC High Performance Program.
The ICC High Performance Program (HPP) was launched in 2001 to assist the leading Associate Member countries prepare for the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. The program played a similar role in the lead up to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, working with the six Associate Member qualifiers. The ICC High Performance Manager, Richard Done, assists the top Associate countries to prioritize strategies for their own high performance programs, player development pathways and administrative structures which are directed at improving the on-field performances of their national teams, at both senior and Under 19 levels.
Ultimately, the major objective of the HPP is to continually develop the quality of national team programs in order to close the gap between ICC Associate and Full Member playing standards.