Cricket boards pay big to compete in LICB tournaments

Countries participating in tournaments put on by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) on an annual basis, are asked to do so at a very high cost.
This is according to head of the sub-regional body, Enoch Lewis, who said territorial boards could shell out up to EC$50,000 per tournament every year.
“This tournament [50 overs] is being subsidised by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board and we’re asking each territory to come up with US$20,000 to participate in this tournament and remember apart from this tournament you have the under-15s, you have under-17s and you have under-19s and the cost is not going down so if you take that then you’re asking each territory to find maybe $120,000 per year to participate in these tournaments and these territories, they just simply don’t have it,” he said. 
A number of teams are currently contesting LICB’s 50 overs competition in Montserrat as they prepare for Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) 50 overs tournament slated for next month. The sub-region’s four- day squad will also be selected coming out of the limited overs competition.
Lewis said the situation is not ideal but it is the best of the board’s current options.
“They tap the same resources that every other sport in the country taps and so there is a significant financial challenge. It is important that we all understand that and so we have to maximise what we have. Rather than sitting back and doing nothing, we’re playing a 50-overs tournament which is not the best, but it is what we can do for now as opposed to not doing anything,” the Antiguan said. 
The board, Lewis revealed, is currently looking at ways in which the financial issues could be handled. 
“We’re looking at some prominent businessmen so they can go out there and reach out and try to raise as much money as they can for us, so that is the plan going forward. We’re asking these territories as well to put on their own fundraising activities so they don’t have to necessarily depend on government 100 percent all the time,” he said.
The LICB recently contracted 15 players as they prepare for the upcoming Professional Cricket League (PCL).