The American Cricket Council (ACC) has announced a nationwide school and collegiate cricket initiative aimed at creating structured pathways for young players, high-performance training and scholarship opportunities across the United States.

The initiative was announced in North Brunswick, New Jersey, and is designed around a model similar to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), with the goal of establishing a more organized framework for cricket within the American school and college sports system.
Former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul will lead the American Cricket Council’s high-performance coaching program as part of its new national school and collegiate cricket initiative. Photo courtesy of Carl Fourie/Gallo Images

Former West Indies captain, batter and Cricket Hall of Famer Shivnarine Chanderpaul will lead the high-performance coaching program, including a Center for Excellence for players and a dedicated coach training center.

Chanderpaul, who previously served as head coach of the USA women's national team and led Jamaica Tallawahs to a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) championship, will work alongside multisport coach Jatin Patel and a team of professional coaches from across North America.

The program will include high-performance training and a virtual academy focused on mentorship and technical development for grassroots players. Orlando, Florida, will serve as the ACC's second home for high-performance training camps supporting planned inter-school and college Super Cup events and leagues.

The initiative is being developed through a partnership involving the ACC, Cricket Hall of Fame, TV Asia and ACEC, with the program expected to provide opportunities for schools, colleges, academies and individual student-athletes.

"Our goal is to integrate cricket directly into the fabric of American high school and college sports culture," said Jatin Patel, Chair. "By combining high-performance coaching, standardized educational curricula, and clear scholarship pathways, we are providing young athletes with a legitimate career and academic future in sport Cricket."

National registration for schools, colleges, academies and individual student-athletes is scheduled to open on October 2, 2026. The ACC said detailed program guidelines, tournament structures and scholarship criteria will be unveiled following the official launch event.

The initiative represents another effort to establish more formal development routes for young cricketers in the United States, with registration, high-performance training, competitions and scholarship opportunities forming the initial framework. Further details on the structure and eligibility requirements are expected after the October launch.