International coordinating body for cricket in Africa
Africa Cricket Association |
| Abbreviation | ACA |
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| Formation | 1997; 27 years ago (1997) |
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| Purpose | Cricket administration |
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| Headquarters | Benoni, South Africa |
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Membership | 23 associations |
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Chairman | Sumod Damodar |
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| Website | www.africacricket.com |
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The Africa Cricket Association (ACA) is an international body which coordinates the development of cricket in Africa. The ACA was founded in 1997, and has 23 member countries.
The role of the ACA includes promoting the development of cricket in Africa and organising some regional tournaments. These have included the ACA Africa T20 Cup and the Africa Women's Twenty20 Championship. The role of the ACA is complementary to the International Cricket Council (ICC), which organises the regional qualifying tournaments for global events.
History
The ACA has its origins in the Zone VI Cricket Confederation, which was established in 1991 to coordinate international cricket in Southern Africa along the lines of the African Zone VI Athletics Championships. The inaugural Zone VI tournament was held in Windhoek in September 1991 with Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia participating along with the Oxford University Cricket Club as guests. The confederation soon secured the support of the United Cricket Board of South Africa and expanded outside of Southern Africa, with Uganda joining in 1994 and Kenya joining in 1995. In March 1996, a meeting was held in Johannesburg to discuss the formation of an Africa-wide body.[1]
The inaugural annual general meeting of the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) was held in Harare in August 1997. The last Zone VI tournament was also held in 1997 and replaced by an Africa Cup open to countries from all around the continent. Hoosain Ayob was appointed as full-time development director.[2] Peter Chingoka of Zimbabwe was elected chairman of the ACA in 1998, replacing South Africa's Krish Mackerdhuj.[3]
In 2005, the ACA and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) established Afro-Asian Cricket Cooperation as a vehicle to promote the Afro-Asia Cup, a series of One Day International (ODI) matches between an Africa XI and an Asia XI to raise funds for the development of cricket on both continents.[4] The 2005 Afro-Asia Cup was held in South Africa and suffered from low attendance and a lack of interest from the players, although generating significant television revenues. A second tournament was held in India in 2007 but the event was not continued, although several proposals for a revival have been made.[5]
In 2023, the ACA announced a 10-year partnership with Mumbai-based firm Corcom Media Ventures for the organisation, promotion, and broadcasting of ACA tournaments, including the ACA Africa T20 Cup and plans for a Women's Africa T20 Cup and an African Premier League.[6]
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