Episode 5—Coach Shrey Patel, Founder of Cricmax

TRANSCRIPT

Ashwath: You're listening to Between the Wickets.

Hello everyone. And thanks for tuning into my podcast Between the Wickets for another episode. Today I'm talking to Coach Trey Patel of CrickMax Academy in New Jersey. Coach Trey, thank you for joining me today on my podcast to talk about your experiences with cricket in America and your views on coaching, infrastructure, and advice for players.

You've been and continue to be a vital part in many kids lives just like you have been in mine. Could you please start off by introducing yourself? 

Coach Shrey: Ashwat, first of all, thank you for having me on your podcast. 

To everybody, my name is Shrey Patel and I am one of the founders at Crickmax and also the coach at Crickmax.

Ashwath: I know that you have many roles now in Crickmax. You're a founder, you manage a business as well, you're a coach and you have a family. I just wanted to ask how do you manage to play so many roles and make an impact 

Coach Shrey: So I would start off by saying that I did was not good. Managing all the roles when I started off, but like cricket teaches you to be disciplined in order to face the bowlers or bowl Those tight lines.

I also learned I became disciplined in my life And I started allocating a certain amount of time for each and every role that I play And I try to focus only on those parts when I, you know, if I'm with kids, I try to be with kids. If I'm trying to be with coaching kids, I try to coach them and just try to segregate.

Uh, different parts of, uh, things that I do and try to be just disciplined in that. 

Ashwath: So, like, in that segregation, even when you're segregating, like, in specific, let's talk about coaching. How do you think coaching younger kids who are just starting off versus coaching middle aged, like, 15, 16 year olds like myself, or even, like, higher level 19, 20 year olds, how do you take a different approach in each, all three departments when you're coaching?

Coach Shrey: So, uh, I would put it this way, coaching younger kids, coaching middle aged kids or older kids, it really depends on how you're communicating with them, how you're connecting with them. Imagine yourself when you were younger. I was much more playful with you. I wanted to make it fun for you. I didn't I Wanted you to hit the ball didn't care where it went, but I just wanted to have you have fun So we connected at that level.

It wasn't much more about technique this or that Uh, when you grew older, it was much more about, okay, we need to focus on your fitness and technique. So again, I was connecting you at that age level. When you got older, it was more mental game. Uh, as the kids get even older, the 19 and the 20 year old, it's again, no longer technique, no longer muscle memory because you have done that for so long.

It's about headspace. Are you in the right headspace? Are you enjoying the game? Are you able to focus and be disciplined about your routines? And can you avoid distractions? So it's connecting with kids, adults at their age, what mental space they're in. And communicating to them from a third party, what we see.

And I think that's what basically I have done felt that that is one of the best things that we can do is communicating with the kids at the age group they're at, at the mental space they're at and making it much more. Fun and interactive so that they understand what that's I guess what I have done and how I have differentiated 

Ashwath: Yeah, that connection you talked about I still remember like coming to Crickmax for the first time playing tennis ball games having so much fun That's what really got me like started and interested in playing cricket.

Yes, and obviously that's what carried me on But I think like, talking about that journey in a sense, going from those tennis ball games, then starting season ball, then even last couple years, you have EYCL, you have all these tournaments, and then now there's a lot more selection games, zonals, tryouts. So, what's your advice to players like me, and to the younger kids on how to manage the journey appropriately, and how to make sure that you're not losing what's at the heart of why you started playing cricket.

Coach Shrey: I guess what I've seen overall in all the series is, uh, the game goes from being fun to being torturous. Right. When you were starting off on tennis ball, it was fun. You were playing because you loved the playing the game. There was no Selection pressure. There was no parent pressure. There was no siblings pressure or peer pressure, right?

There was nothing you were just you didn't care In the world, you just wanted to hit that ball, right? Or you wanted to bowl as quickly as you can So it was fun. What happens is people then start, you know, having all this worries in the world You And that's where kids kind of lose the focus of why you are playing the game.

So my biggest advice to the kids is, are you enjoying? If you're not enjoying the game, then you will never be well. And like, you know, as many people before me have said. That you do what you love and you will never feel like working. So if you're not enjoying playing, then you are never going to score runs, never going to take wickets, never going to field.

You're never going to care enough to die for that ball for some other bowler, right? But if you're enjoying, then you will. So, uh, don't lose the sight on that. Don't lose the focus. We are all competing while, while you are all trying to get your team into Zona. I think the key element over here is enjoying.

Enjoying creates positive, uh, connections in your mind, uh, positive attitude, and that allows you to be much more open. You take a risk bit more. You play risk free. You don't worry about getting out. You try to take that paddle scoop on or reverse sweep on. Even though you have failed, so your fear of failure goes away.

So while it is important to learn from your mistakes, but you should not be fearful of failing or fearful of letting your parents or anybody down. You know, that's what I would generally like to tell kids nowadays. I think they have made it too complicated for themselves. 

Ashwath: Yeah, I think that mindset of just having fun and then the one thing you said about, you know, diving for the ball.

I think like a lot of the games I play today, all these tournaments, I see a lot of people just want to do their bowling, do their batting, focus on that. And then like ultimately fielding, no one cares about the other bowler and all that stuff. 

Coach Shrey: But guess what? Selectors care about it, right? And, and, and, and that's what it is.

And it's in real life, right? In real life, you're going to have a job one day. People, your managers, your bosses are going to look, are you doing that extra bit? Right? Are you doing that extra bit for your team members? And then they will mentor you to go forward, but that helps that you learn all that from you pick up those skills in cricket.

It's a team sport. 

Ashwath: Yes. So moving on from the coaching aspect and all of that more towards your role in NJ cricket as a whole. You've been one of the key people behind getting a natural turf wicket at Mercer County Park, something which has been really a struggle in New Jersey. A lot of people like to complain about the grounds, the grass length, all of that stuff.

And we tend to see, especially on the East Coast, all the astroturf and matting wickets. But I think Mercer County was like something very like revolutionary for the cricket we're playing. So I just wanted to ask you, why is the situation here what it is currently? And how did Mercer County, the ground, the pitch, how did that all come to be what it is today?

Coach Shrey: You know what is the tagline of Crickmax? 

Ashwath: Uh, Cricket is possible. 

So why do we have that tagline, Cricket is possible? Because we choose to make it possible. So how did Mercer came about? We clearly knew, uh, while in minor league that the only way forward is to have natural turf, have better grounds, have better infrastructure.

So when we started CrickMax, we saw there was lack of infrastructure. So we created infrastructure. When we opened CrickMax, it was the largest indoor facility in entire North America. That includes Canada, right? So we always feel that we have to be pioneers when it comes to infrastructure. And we saw that our kids, if they have to consistently compete against the lack of People from Texas, from California, how are they going to do that?

We need to provide them turf tickets. So, uh, we, uh, spoke to people at Mercer County. We explained them our vision. They were good enough for us to, uh, spend some, uh, money on the ground. We did what we had to do. And that's how the whole thing came about. We explained them the vision, uh, and why it is so important to have turf pickets.

I'll give you a fun fact about Mercer County Park. When Mercer County Park was built, they had, this was the only national park, I mean, the county park that had. Pre, uh, space allotted for a cricket ground. They did not make a cricket ground, but that was the only county plan, park plan with a cricket field.

Ashwath: Yeah, that's really cool. And I, I like how today even every like age group gets to play in Marshall County. It's not just the people playing minor league, even our CLNJ team with, which has 15, 16 year olds. And even 18, 19 year olds, we all get to play there, get to practice there. You know, it's a learning process, having to play on turf.

You can't just go out there one day and just, just expect to score runs like you do on Astro. So I think that's a really cool aspect that New Jersey now has and is available for us. And then you talked about how the turf ground is also available for minor league. So for minor league cricket, how do you think minor league fits in, in the pathway of a kid's journey through USA cricket?

Yeah. 

Coach Shrey: So minor league and USA cricket are two separate entities and they will be two separate entities So one might not overlap another one uh Just like other countries have now franchise cricket So minor league is going to be franchise cricket and USA cricket is going to be still a separate Pathway if you may which will be much more traditional Minor league cricket on the other hand is going to be much more on the business side of the things where Uh, people are, uh, there will be a bit more turnover.

Teams that organize, uh, ourselves such as Manhattan Yorkers will have a core group of people and there will be some turnovers besides them. While in USA Cricket, you wouldn't find that. They look for a two year, three year cycle where they want to give enough stability to succeed. So, uh, a kid growing up, you know, today's a day and age, uh, kids like you aspire to play in USA Pathway, in minor league, ultimately you have to score runs, you have to take wickets, you have to take those catches, you have to get those run outs, get noticed, and then people, teams ultimately will pick you.

Ashwath: So, minor league is also, you have major league now in the US. So minor league and major league are related in some sort of way. How sustainable is minor league and providing again, like a sort of pathway for kids also older people in their twenties and their thirties into getting into major league. And how does that correlation fit between minor and major league?

Coach Shrey: So ultimately it's a stepping stone just as you do make runs in your youth tournaments. And you get noticed and somebody from minor league will approach you because you are doing a good job at youth level. Similarly, in minor league level, if you're doing a good job, then major league will notice you and will pick you up.

St end of the day, it's everybody's looking for talent. Everybody's looking for players who can contribute towards team winning. And if you're doing your part correctly, then you will get noticed. You will get picked up. It's a farm system. And that's a proven farm system across different sports and nothing different over here.

Just like in baseball, just like in NFL, in basketball, basketball as a league, NFL as college football, baseball as minor league, same with cricket. It's a farm system. If you do well, you will get noticed and you will ultimately be able to get to play in nature. 

Ashwath: Yeah, so I think it's important for everyone to just, you know, trust the process.

There is a process. There is someone who will eventually set you if you keep performing consistently. And then I just want to shift to one more topic that I wanted to discuss with you today was parents, because you've seen parents, you know, since the start of CrickMax, you've seen parents today, you've seen how they have evolved.

Parents, they have to drop their kids everywhere. They have to even put the mat on the ground sometimes, help set up the ground, especially when the kids are younger. So how should parents manage their kids cricket? And what is their role in providing a better system for them? And just their role in supporting their kids cricket?

Coach Shrey: I would put it this way. Let me ask you a question. Are you going to be a cricketer because Crickmax is there? Or are you going to be a cricketer because your parents put in the hard hours to make you a cricketer. 

Ashwath: Parents. 

Coach Shrey: So, what is the role, ultimately? Parents are the ones that drive everything in USA.

Parents are the reason why cricket is growing. Yes, we, as an organization, are there to provide, sustain cricket. But ultimately, without parents, I don't think so cricket will grow without their unwavering belief in their kid's career. Because most of these parents don't know what you're, what you're going to become, but they're still committed to you.

It is not the money that they're committing. It's the time they're committing. In U. S., when a parent has to travel to New York, we are in New Jersey, they're going two hours to New York, traveling back from New York two hours, then they're driving one hour, half an hour to QuickMax. That's time. That's valuable time.

They're tired, but they're committing that time. So what is their role? Their role is not only to bring you there, but they're also demanding tough questions from there and demanding tough answers, asking us tough questions to make us honest, to ensure that you are growing as a cricketer. So I feel parents role is so sometimes undermined by the coaches, sometimes undermined by the organizations.

But without parents, I don't see cricket happening in U. S. Yes, we are there, but without parents unwavering support, I don't think so cricket would happen. Having said that, can parents become too nosy, too pushy, too demanding for the kids or from the coaches? Yes, 100%. You know, nothing wrong in it, but at some time, as an organization, We need to remind them that, yes, we understand you're pulling, but we are also doing our bit, right?

So it's a relationship where they are demanding answers from us and we are providing those answers. But at the end of the day, it's a 50 50 relationship. They are doing their bit, we are doing our bit. And every time somebody oversteps, we have to remind each other. So, uh, I think parents play the most crucial role in all this.

When you were young, you would sleep in the car while going back home. 

Ashwath: Yeah. 

Coach Shrey: Right? You are tired. But think about your dad or your mom who would have worked all day, driven you there, driven. They are also tired. There is no domestic help here, so they have to go and do all the work. They are spending so much time and effort behind you.

It's much easier in India because kids travel on their own. But is it easy in the US? No, it's not. Right? So, parents role is very important. I feel that they're doing a fabulous job. Without their support, it wouldn't have reached where it is. 

Ashwath: Yeah, I think you explained it perfectly and I think it's completely easy to understand their pain, but also what they have to do for their kids and what they have to do for cricket in general in America.

And then I just wanna say And with two final questions, first with Major League happening, currently it's second season, the World Cup just concluding in the USA. How do you think the next few years are going to contribute to you as a cricket? How do you think USA cricket is going to grow and not just the actual board itself, but minor league, major league, USA cricket, everything.

How do you think that will develop over the next couple of years and where do you see it going? 

Coach Shrey: I see Major League becoming a billion dollar enterprise over the next five years. I see Minor League becoming also a good hundred million dollar enterprise over the next few years. I see overall U. S. cricket growing very big.

I feel the World Cup and everything. I see the world notices a big untapped market. I see a lot more academies, a lot more IPL franchises coming to USA. I've seen a lot, you know, ECB, uh, Australian Cricket Board and everybody else also trying to set up stuff in US. You will ultimately see cricket grow. Uh, what do I don't see?

I don't see cricket growing into schools and colleges. That's, uh, again, where the cricket should be growing. So, uh, hopefully us a cricket, uh, spends more time and energy on that. But, uh, as the sports gets popular, people will ask, at least in major cities that will happen. And hopefully, uh, it'll get into colleges.

But, but I see cricket growing. The pie is getting bigger, and as pie gets bigger, more and more people will get involved. And, um, I, it's very optimistic. It has grown beyond my imagination. 

Ashwath: And then one last question. I like to ask everyone. What advice do you have for cricketers in the U. S. who are just starting their journey, who are in their journey, or who are towards the end of their journey?

Coach Shrey: Have fun. Don't lose the sight on why you started playing cricket. You started playing because you love the game. So have fun. I tell a lot of parents, when they step over the line, I tell a lot of kids, ultimately, we are in this together. South Asians. We all have some sort of a professional career waiting for us.

Very few of us will end up as a cricketer, so don't get too stressed about failures, but learn from the failures in cricket and enjoy. Love the game to play the game. Don't get bogged down by failures.

Ashwath:  Thank you so much for your time coach. 

Coach Shrey: Thank you.