‘With a new chairman, a new board, a new director, and new premises,’ says incoming KNCB chairman Marc Asselbergs (seen right in photo, taking over from previous chairman René van Ierschot), ‘you can be pretty sure that things are going to be different.’

Since taking office in June, Asselbergs has been busy building up the organisation’s new structure, taking the first steps towards implementing the recommendations of the working party which reviewed its current performance and future challenges. The recent appointment of Maarten Westermann as director was one of the first manifestations of the new set-up.

Himself a modest club cricketer who played 83 Hoofdklasse matches for Rood en Wit Haarlem between 1967 and 1976, Asselbergs has since served as chairman both of the Haarlem club and of the Dutch touring club De Flamingo’s.

Asked about the top priorities for the years ahead, it is significant that he puts maintaining and extending the base of the domestic game top of the list, even ahead of ensuring that The Netherlands remains in the top 16 countries beyond the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2009.

‘There has been a gradual decline over a long period,’ he says, ‘in the number of players, especially young players of Dutch origin, and in the number of grounds available.’

He emphasizes the importance of the clubs in attracting – and even more, retaining – young players, but believes that the KNCB must do more to support their efforts.

‘We can develop new programmes,’ he argues, ‘for bringing cricket into the schools, and we have to update our promotional materials. The brochures and so on that we have at the moment are, to be honest, a bit old-fashioned.

‘Making cricket more popular is so important that we’re creating a position on the board specifically to look after that area.’

Asselbergs is very positive about the need to gain exposure on television for cricket.

‘It’s a great disadvantage for us,’ he observes, ‘that the BBC lost its rights to cover cricket. You no longer come across cricket when you’re zapping through the channels. A lot of Dutch people first became interested in cricket that way.’

So the KNCB will be looking for ways to get the game onto television in The Netherlands.

‘I hope that the Twenty/20 competition we’re planning may be a step towards achieving that,’ says Asselbergs.

The threat to Dutch cricket grounds, many of which are shared with football or hockey, is another of the problems facing the domestic game.

‘The hockey and football people are increasingly demanding artificial pitches, and we have to find a way to make sure that we can go on playing cricket. We need to talk to the clubs and to local authorities, so that they take our needs seriously.’

Asselbergs agrees that more grass wickets, and at the very least high quality artificial pitches, are needed at the top level of the game.

‘But it’s a cost issue,’ he adds. ‘A coconut matting wicket costs €800, a Notts Sports wicket €5,000-6,000. On the other hand, you can use the latter for ten years, whereas you need a new mat every year. So we have to find a way to cover the initial investment.’

His emphasis on the development of domestic cricket does not mean that the new chairman underestimates the importance of international success.

‘It will be a tough job staying in the top sixteen,’ he acknowledges. ‘Ireland, Scotland and Denmark are all making progress, and we will have to make sure that we do so as well.’

Asselbergs pays tribute to what has been achieved already, with participation in a third World Cup and the creation of the Dutch Lions programme for youth teams.

‘We have a great basis for the future in the coaches we have,’ he says. ‘But now we must ensure that there’s a natural progression from youth level to the national senior side.’

But there’s a third area that he wants to talk about, and it brings him back to the domestic scene, and to a potentially tricky issue.

‘We have to recognise,’ he says, ‘that cricket in The Netherlands today is a multicultural sport. 40-50% of our players now come from non-Dutch backgrounds, from the immigrant communities.

‘That provides us with many opportunities, because these players come from cultures where cricket is hugely important, and where there’s a real passion for the game. In the coming years we will gain many very talented cricketers this way, who will help us to strengthen the sport in this country.’

But there’s another side to this question, which presents a challenge to the KNCB.

‘Players with a background in the Sub-continent approach the game differently,’ he says. ‘They have different values, and we have to find a way to bring the two approaches together, so that Dutch cricket can become one community, playing the game according to the Spirit of Cricket.

‘When I became chairman, the first half-dozen issues I had to deal with were all about disputes on the field. The fact that one of them involved two of the oldest Dutch Hoofdklasse teams proves that this is not just a question of cultural difference, but it’s still a situation which we have to recognise and deal with.’

Asselbergs plans to take the question up over the winter, bringing together key figures from all areas of Dutch cricket to try to find a way forward.

‘We must tackle the issue with open minds,’ he says, ‘and work proactively to ensure that we build a common culture of cricket in this country. This is not a one-year project; it has to be a long-term programme with measurable targets we can review every year.’

Asselbergs has now almost finished putting together his new board, which will be presented to a general meeting of the KNCB on 17 October.

Out-going vice-president Jacques Mulders will take over as secretary, with Steven Hartman retaining the treasurer’s post. Former Dutch international Bart Lubbers will take over the new technical portfolio, with responsibility for all the international teams, while responsibility for development and domestic cricket will be assumed by Akbal Mohamed. The only portfolio where the process is not yet quite complete is that for commercial and media affairs.

Asselbergs is evidently very happy with his team, and with the appointment of Maarten Westermann as the KNCB’s new director.

‘We had nearly thirty applications,’ he says, ‘and interviewed seven or eight. That process itself taught us a good deal, and we are continuing to have valuable discussions with several of the unsuccessful candidates, who are sharing with us their experience of similar problems in other sports.’

He sees the professionalisation of the KNCB office as a key task for director, along with finding new sources of sponsorship.

‘Sports administration has become much more complex,’ he points out, ‘and a situation has developed where the basic things are not in place. We need better structures, to ensure that we give the clubs the service they need and deserve.’

Many people involved in cricket in The Netherlands have felt that, despite reasonable success on the field, Dutch cricket has been drifting in the past couple of years. With so many new elements in the mix – not to mention a new logo, a new tie and a new flag! – it seems likely that there will be a lot to talk about in the near future.