New Chilean Cricket Association CEO: Limerick’s Matthew Callaghan

Newly appointed CEO of the Chilean Cricket Association (ACC), and former Limerick player, Matthew Callaghan talks to The Munster Cricket Blog.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in New Zealand, Matthew was a cricket fanatic from an early age. So much so, he went on to play representative underage cricket for Hamilton district in New Zealand and for York district during a brief stint in England in 1998.

The Callaghan family moved to Ireland in 2002 and immediately became immersed in Limerick Cricket Club. The family became the custodians of the Limerick club’s kit and Jeremy’s (Matthew’s father) shed was literally the club’s base. During his time studying for his first class honours degree in English and Spanish in UCD, Matthew captained the University’s cricket club and went on to represent the Irish Universities during his second year.

Matthew’s studies took him to Santiago, Chile, during his final year to where he returned upon completion of his degree.

Matthew speaks to The Munster Cricket Blog from Buenos Aires, where he is currently stuck with the Chilean under-19 team, unable to return home in light of the recent earthquake that hit Chile leaving Santiago airport out of operation.

How did find out about the job as CEO of the ACC and what was the process involved in getting the job?

I saw the CEO job advertised through the ACC mailing list, and given that I was not enjoying my english teaching job in the place I was working, I thought I´d apply and see if I could use my cricket expertise and passion for the game in a professional sense. I applied and was called for an interview which went well. We talked about the strategic plan, where I saw Cricket Chile now, and where I saw it in a few years, and how I intended to find a home for Chilean cricket, a problem which we had also faced in Limerick and UCD. I guess they liked my answers because here I am.

What is your role as CEO of the ACC?

My job is basically to manage the ACC on a daily basis – administration. I have to administer the strategic plan, and manage the finances as they have been allocated in the budget. There are a lot of relations with the ICC Americas, and it is my job to ensure they receive all the paperwork that they require, and that we are doing all that we need to at our end.

On top of that, the strategic plan aims to manage and improve top level cricket, and develop the game at grass roots

Matthew (centre) with his former Limerick team-mates.

level, and these are tasks that I am faced with on a daily basis. Finding spaces and facilities, and producing coaches and players of a high standard.

I recently had to organise 2 international tours in Argentina. This involved booking of flights, arranging insurance, uniforms, communication with parents, accommodation for regional players, establishing and monitoring a budget, and literally accompanying the teams on tour, amongst many other things.

Will you be based permanently in Chile?

I am based in Santiago where I have been living since I moved here in August. I was working in an English institute for 6 months before I started at the ACC, and so the change was a smooth as it could have been. I know many of the guys through playing in the Metro Cup competition here this summer, and I have been in a relationship with a Chilean girl for nearly 2 years now, and so Santiago is pretty much my home for now.

Did you learn anything from your experience of cricket in Munster and Dublin that you will bring to your job as CEO?

Having worked in, and been frustrated by cricket in Munster and UCD, I definitely came to this job with experience of the difficulties and challenges that face small amateur cricket associations. The lack of a permanent ground, adequate training facilities, and the support of the general population were factors that I was expecting, but I was also well briefed in some of the ways around these problems, especially in the short term. I also brought a determination to overcome them in the long term where I had been frustrated at both UCD and the MCU.

Having worked (although voluntarily) in cricket administration, I was ready for the personalities and the hurdles that only cricket can produce and equipped to negotiate them.

What are your plans for taking cricket in Chile forward?

I have three main goals: 1. Become a Federation of three Associations in Chile (at the moment there are just two, in Santiago and Viña-Valparaíso respectively) 2. Find a permanent home for Chilean Cricket and 3. Achieve ICC Associate status (we are currently an affiliate member). In order to achieve this final goal we need to develop more grounds, more coaches and more players, as well as demonstrate success at the top levels. We are already well along the way with many of these goals, having recently competed at U15 and U19 levels in regional ICC competitions, and with U13 and women’s events before the end of the year. We have a good development base and a fantastic cricketing community who has managed to achieve so much working voluntarily in their spare time, and I can only imagine how much more we can do with a full time administrator (me) and 2 part time regional development officers and a High Performance Manager working beneath him. 

Do you think Chile could one day become a force in Associate cricket?

The future is bright. I definitely think Chile could become a force in Associate cricket. As I said, I have recently

The Chilean Cricket Team in action. Pic: ICC

managed the U15 and U19 tours to Argentina, and have seen firsthand the talent and the improvement that Chile has demonstrated at these two tournaments. We came out second best, and in the case of the U19s, fourth best, but we have improved immensely, and done ourselves proud, given the disadvantages that we face. We have 2 grounds which schools let us use out of good will, and one net in the whole of Chile, and yet we are able to turn out teams, constituted nearly 100% by home grown Chileans, and we have not been humiliated. When we see the grounds and facilities that countries like Argentina have at their disposal, our eyes glow green with envy, and one cannot help but imagine “what we could do if we had these facilities”, and yet they are not so far ahead. Yes they are much better, but we have done so much with just 2 schools and one net. I see us rising very quickly and even faster once we achieve associate status.

What is your view on Munster cricket from your experience? What could be done to improve?

I think Munster cricket is a growing force in the Irish cricket community. It is funny to think that it has more grounds at its disposal than the whole of Chile, and yet it is the runt of the Irish litter. It saw big improvements in standard, organisation and development in the 7 years I was in Ireland (although no thanks to me), and it can only grow further still as Ireland´s profile as a cricketing nation grows. I think it´s good to see new faces and new ideas coming to the MCU as I feel it has at times been held back by some of the older voices. Greater involvement by some of the satelite clubs can only be a positive thing, and a greater integration of all the clubs can help to overcome some of the resentment that is felt by some towards the central larger clubs. Ways of doing this would be MCU committee meetings held on a rotating basis in different parts of Munster, and less concentration on the Mardyke, which was a problem for Limerick members always travelling to Cork when I was there. This may well have changed of course, but the theme of integration continues to be an important one.

What do you think of the news Limerick CC may have a new permanent home?

In terms of Limerick Cricket´s new home, what fantastic news. As a member for years and someone who campaigned to get a satisfactory ground for Limerick Cricket, I am over the moon to hear that this might become a reality. We have so many people who have worked so hard to maintain men´s cricket and develop the kids and I´m sure that if it does go ahead the lads will make the most of it, and Limerick Cricket club will once again be a dominant force in the MCU, both at adult and underage levels.

If only Chilean cricket could be so lucky.