Dutch champion VRA Amsterdam announced in a press release on Friday that its Board plans to apply more resources with effect from 1 December to further develop their playing facilities and clubhouse complex.

The club recently increased the playing square on the international ground in the Amsterdamse Bos to ten pitches and has a relatively new grass practice block. The club will now have a dedicated staff tending the playing fields and separate staff for the clubhouse bar and banqueting facility.

Paul Polak has been bar manager and groundsman since the turf wickets were first laid down in 1997. But the club’s Board has come to the conclusion that if the club is to continue to develop, the time has come for a new approach.

Polak has been responsible for VRA’s three grounds and he prepared the pitches for the World Cup match between Kenya and South Africa in 1999, the Videocon Cup tournament with India, Pakistan and Australia in 2004, the ODIs between The Netherlands and Sri Lanka in 2006 (in which Sri Lanka established a record total in ODIs of 443), and this year’s Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda.

Announcing the decision, VRA acting chairman Ed van Nierop said: ‘The club is very grateful to Paul for the contribution he has made over the years, which has helped to establish Amsterdam as a major international venue in Associates cricket.’

Paul Polak said: ‘The achievements over the last decade are something I'm extremely proud of.’

VRA is currently in discussion with Tony Leach of the UK Institute of Groundsmanship, who worked with Polak in Amstelveen during the Videocon Cup, in order to ensure that a suitable successor can be appointed well before the start of next season. The city of Amsterdam announced earlier that it will supplement the dedicated work force to further aid the development of the VRA facility.