Since 2004 Auckland Cricket has been involved with the Samoa International Cricket Association (SICA) as part of the ICC's East Asia Pacific's Development programme.
As part of this partnerships Auckland Cricket provides a range of assistance to SICA to help them develop cricket, such as:
Coach & umpire education and training
Administration advice & strategic planning
National squad, elite development and tournament preparation
Junior development and school programs
Collection of used and/or excess equipment (bats, pads, gloves, etc) from local clubs for donation to your partner country
Fundraising (e.g. auction/raffle of cricket memorabilia, organisation of quiz night etc.) to raise funds to be put back into the partnership for the benefit of the partner country
Host country team tours and player placements
High profile promotional and fundraising visits
Provision of cricket resources and promotional material
One of the main aims for SICA in the near future is to try and move from being an affiliate to an assoicate member, and with it access to greater funding for development of the game within Samoa.
This involves them achieving targets in a number of areas but one of the big ones is performances on the field. In recent times both the national men's and women's sides have had international success with the men about to head into a World Twenty20 qualifying tournament in Papua New Guinea.
For more information about cricket in Samoa and SICA click here.
And to find out more about the work that ICC East Asia Pacific are doing in the region with Samoa and other countries click here.