CHENNAI: At a time when the growth of women’s cricket seems inevitable with several boards coming up with their own franchise-based T20 competition, Fair Break Global have set themselves in a unique position. The global invitational T20 tournament has grabbed the eyeballs of everyone including the ICC. They and Cricket Hong Kong were awarded the ICC Development Initiative of the Year for the Asian Region for their role in delivering the tournament in 2022. Shaun Martyn, Founder of Fair Break Global, spoke to TNIE about the journey, the ICC award, the tournament in the USA and what lies ahead. Excerpts…
On the ICC award…
It's an incredible achievement in receiving that award. But it's really an award for a lot of people who have worked with me for a long period of time to get to where we are now. So it's certainly not an individual award. It's an award for every player and person that's been a part of what we've done over a long period.
On where it all began...
It probably started 15 years ago when I was paying some Australian players in corporate matches because they weren't getting paid. And then with my work with Lisa Sthalekar and the book we wrote together and her retiring in 2013, We then set about because she was not very well paid as the best player in the world, we set about creating what was WICL (Women's International Cricket League) which is really what you see on the ground now. And that sort of pushed Cricket Australia to start the WBBL and the ECB to start the Super League. We were perceived as sort of rebels and radicals when we weren't really trying to do that. We were just trying to create a space for women so that they could be rewarded for their efforts more fairly. The more work we did, the more it became about equality and opportunity for women. So I was filming a little documentary in which I called it Fair Break and then I decided that I would change everything into that because it was a play on the Australian idiom of a fair go. And that's really the only smart thing I ever did really was change the name. But it was more reflective of the work we were doing around creating opportunity. And I think we're a social impact business now, really, we just happen to play cricket. We do change a lot of lives with what we do.
On the impact the tournament has made on players’ lives…
I've probably become more aware of the significant difference it's made to some. I always felt it would make a difference but when I find that players from more remote areas, they've used the money to go back and build their own homes, and change the education status of their families and their children. I mean, I was aware that some of that was happening but I'm probably very much aware of it now and I think that's really the thing that I'm most happy about with what we do, the two things that I think are crucial is the quality of the cricket has to be very high. And then what impact that has had on communities.
I suppose the other thing that I've been made aware of even by my own government is the sporting diplomacy around what we do. I mean, we had a game here this week where the Falcons team was fielding 11 players from 11 different countries. I mean, there's not a greater example of how countries can come together under one banner to support each other.
Does it bring more responsibilities?
I certainly feel more pressure than I did even to get it off the ground now, to maintain the quality and the standards that we've set. So yes, the success we're having comes with greater pressure and is no different from if you were a player really. It's exactly the same sort of scenario. What we need now is more corporate support and corporate backing for what we're doing. And I think that'll come, I think the more awareness there is of what we're doing and the difference it makes and we've seen it in the quality of the players as well. Those players that have returned from associate nations, they've come here fitter. They've improved their skills. They're certainly not intimidated and they're making a big difference in most of the games.
On the challenges in getting sponsors and putting together such a tournament...
It's not simple at all. There's nothing simple about it. But at the end of the day, it's about the product that we produce and the results of that product that are important. I mean, nothing worth doing comes easy. So, yeah, there are lots of challenges, there are lots of hurdles we've got to jump. There are lots of things that we have to contend with. But look, we've got to a position now where the ICC has sanctioned us for two tournaments a year. We've just been part of a wonderful ICC award. So, I think credibility for me is really important as the integrity of what we do. So I think those sorts of markers reinforce that. So as a consequence, I'm hoping that some things get easier as more people understand the intention behind what we do.
On not getting associated with betting/gambling platforms as sponsors...
I think the reason we took that stance is in my country, Australia, in particular betting and gambling can often be associated with domestic violence and family dislocation. We're, we're essentially a business that is promoting opportunity, equality, diversity, and inclusion for women. It would be hypocritical of us to then be funded by organizations that were creating situations that were damaging to women. So it's difficult. It makes life very difficult for us. I mean, I could have financed what we're doing three or four times over if I'd gone down that path, but I think it's important that we don't do that. I think you're seeing a bit of a change happening. I know that there are other sporting teams in Australia, individuals, and teams in Australian rules football in Australia that are now taking the same stance, they're not going to put betting companies or gambling companies on their playing uniforms. I think there is certainly a place for wagering in sports, I think that you're never going to stop that. We're not trying to stop that. We're just saying that in certain instances it's not the way to go. And, I'm also hoping that the pure sports ethos that we have, I suppose, resonates with different brands and different companies and people who decide that. It's just the position we take because of what we do, and how important it is, to the players, especially the full members of the ICC.
On the role of international stars in the tournament...
And it's incredibly important. I mean, it's vital, and they're very enthusiastic about it. I mean, later this week, I'll announce 12 players of that caliber that have already committed to being in the US. So they're very invested in what we do and they get a lot out of the tournament that they're under pressure to perform, trust me because I tell you what, every single associate nation player is trying to knock them off. So there's a big incentive for them to perform and they like that, but they're also learning as well. I mean, this week they're playing on a wicket that does a little bit, normally they're playing on roads. So, they're honing their skills but in a different way and they're also learning to work with a whole range of different cultures and a whole range of different people from different backgrounds.
So not only do they improve as players, but also as individuals. Their experience, they do share a lot, it's quite different to a men's tournament in that respect, that's very competitive. But there is a spirit, I suppose for want of a better word in which the games are played, but it's guns on the table.
On the target audience for women’s cricket…
Well, I think it's a little bit of a misnomer to assume that the cricket audience for women is in the same area as it is for men. It's a much more desperate audience and it's much more widespread, you know, cricket's the fastest growing female sport in Asia. For example, there's a growing market in South America for female players. I mean, we're playing in America because I think it is an incredible untapped resource in terms of women's cricket and we're determined to move the game to America. The ex-pat community in America is going to be incredibly important to us. But it's also important that we take the game into the more mainstream American sports psyche and we're looking at ways and means of doing that. So I don't really think about comparative audiences between the men's game and the women's game. I see them very much as two different games. You know, we're all playing cricket, but we're playing it differently if that makes sense to you. So I think it's been a bit of a mistake to think that the audience is just where the men's game is.
On Fair Break’s place amidst other franchise-based tournaments…
I'm excited by the fact that there are all those domestic leagues popping up. I think that's exactly what should be happening. I think the more opportunities you create for female players around the world, the better. We're the only global tournament in the world. I think our position is unique in that respect. And I think we're not a competitor for any of those, those other leagues. Part of the reason we've constructed the way we play the tournament is like a grand slam tennis tournament. One city, one venue, two weeks, 20 games. So those windows that we have now really don't impact the other leagues around the world. A lot of the players that we're giving a profile to here, especially from associate nations have then got the opportunity to potentially be picked up by some of those other leagues. We've got these players that we're finding have now got a platform and exposure and they're known. So any of the leagues that are starting up that are domestic around the world, if any of them got some smarts about them, they'd be looking at some of these players and going well, hang on a second, there's a contract there.
Do you see Fair Break becoming a feeder system in future?
I don't think it's a feeder system. I think the quality of the cricket that's being played in this tournament is as good if not better than many of the other domestic leagues around the world. And you only have to be here to see that. So it's not a training ground, it's not a feeder system, it's standalone, it's different, it's unique. But what it does provide is a platform for a wider group of players that do not get noticed. It's very important and I think you'll see more and more as time goes on that the quality of this tournament in terms of cricket will just get better and better. Because the players that are invited are thinking about being invited or are hoping to be invited. They're at home now working on their game. You know, they're trying to get here because for many of them it's the closest to a World Cup they'll ever play in and it's the highest quality cricket they'll ever play. So they're desperate to be here and desperate to play.
Where does Fair Break go from here?
Well, what's next is to submit these two tournaments to the calendar. We're running two tournaments. I do have some ideas for the future but at the moment it's a matter of getting the USA tournament done and then moving into 2024 with what we've learned then from three tournaments, and just constantly refining our approaches. I think you'll see, I think America will be very interesting. I have great hopes for where we will take that. We'll be making some pretty exciting announcements around that over the next six months. I think it's important that we establish these two tournaments. A great mentor of mine said ‘Hasten slowly’, that's what I'd like to do.