Central Districts Cricket Association

What Central Districts Cricket Association does

Central Districts Cricket Association (CDCA) is a private regional cricket governing body established in 1950 and affiliated to New Zealand Cricket as one of six first-class associations. It administers cricket across a geographically unique territory spanning both the North and South Islands — the only NZ association to do so — covering eight district associations: Hawke's Bay, Manawatū, Wairarapa, Horowhenua-Kāpiti, Whanganui, Taranaki, Nelson, and Marlborough. CDCA fields two flagship representative teams, Central Stags (men) and Central Hinds (women, established 1979), which compete in NZC domestic competitions including the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy, Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, and Super Smash. The organization operates a complete player pathway from grassroots Smash Play junior and youth programmes, through schools competitions (Ross Taylor Bat, Aimee Watkins Trophy, First XI Cups), age-group representative cricket (U17, U19), and ultimately to elite domestic and international representation.

The core operational footprint is the Mitre 10 Park sports hub in Hastings, which in 2023 saw the opening of two major capital projects: the $1.8 million Rodney Green Foundation Turf Training Facility (a custom Cravo greenhouse with retractable roof/sides, 16 grass wickets, LED lighting, and subcontinent-condition pitches curated by former McLean Park Head Groundsman Phil Stoyanoff) and the $1.8 million Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Cricket and Boxing Centre (four lanes, 1,045 sqm, retractable nets, online Pay2Pay booking). These facilities are bookable to the public (NZ$35/hr peak lane hire, NZ$25/hr off-peak, NZ$400/day exclusive use). Adjacent facilities include the Sir Graeme S. Avery Hostel, Hawke's Bay Regional Aquatic Centre, Royston Health & Fitness Centre, and 13th Stag Café. The association is supported by a Central Districts Cricket Charitable Trust (since 1987), which has received $1.35M and distributed $605K to cricket development.

Revenue is generated across four primary streams: facility hire (usage-based), membership and registration through the eight district associations (subscription), sponsorships including Mitre 10 naming rights (licensing-style), and funding from NZC, Sport NZ, and NZCT (government and sporting body grants). Commercial partnerships include Mitre 10 (flagship naming sponsor), Rodney Green Foundation (flagship benefactor), NZC (governing-body affiliation), Somerset County Cricket Club (Lowe Walker Cricket Scholarship), and Hastings Giants Boxing Academy (co-tenant). The 34-person staff operates under a board chaired by Reuben Levermore with Julie Baxendine as Deputy Chair, plus President Neil Sulzberger and Patron Jock Sutherland QSM. CDCA is member/community-owned with no external equity investment and is not publicly traded.

Name

Central Districts Cricket Association

Legal name

Central Districts Cricket Association

Website

https://cdcricket.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Districts Cricket Association is a private regional cricket governing body in New Zealand, administering community cricket, schools programmes, and representative teams (Central Stags, Central Hinds) across eight district associations spanning both main islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Association / Cricket Governance

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cricket Leagues (MPAKAAAF), Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

Keywords

• Cricket governing body
• Sports facility management
• Cricket development programmes
• Community cricket administration
• Representative cricket pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Hastings

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Facility Hire: Revenue from hiring cricket facilities including indoor nets, turf training facility, and function/meeting spaces at Mitre 10 Park
2. Membership and Registration: Revenue from cricket clubs, schools, and individual participants through district associations
3. Sponsorships: Commercial partnerships with sponsors and funding from funding partners including NZCT and other organizations
4. Government and Sporting Body Funding: Funding from New Zealand Cricket and other sporting/funding bodies for cricket development programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Central Districts Cricket Association governs and administers cricket across eight district associations in New Zealand's lower North Island and top of the South Island, operating flagship representative teams (Central Stags men's and Central Hinds women's) in domestic competitions. It runs community cricket pathways from junior through to elite level, manages inter-district and schools tournaments, and operates the Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Cricket and Boxing Centre and the Rodney Green Foundation Turf Training Facility at Mitre 10 Park, Hastings, available for hourly public hire.

Product overview

Central Districts Cricket Association (CDCA) is a cricket governing body representing eight district associations across New Zealand's North and South Islands. The organization operates a portfolio of sports facilities at Mitre 10 Park (including the Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Centre and Turf Training Facility), manages representative cricket programmes (Under 17 and Under 19), and coordinates competitive tournaments including the Chapple Cup (men's inter-district), Mike Shrimpton Trophy/Copelin Cup (women's inter-district), Ross Taylor Bat and Aimee Watkins Trophy (schools competitions), and First XI Cups. The organization focuses on community cricket development, elite pathway management, and venue operations rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Central Stags: Men's representative cricket team of Central Districts Cricket Association
• Central Hinds
• Central Districts Māori Wahine

Products and services

• Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Cricket and Boxing Centre A purpose-built, multi-use indoor training facility featuring four 4-metre wide cricket training lanes with retractable high-tension nets, 1,045 sqm floor space (55m x 19m), 35-metre run-up for bowlers, full LED lighting and Pay2Pay online booking. Available for hourly public hire with peak ($35+GST/hr), off-peak ($25+GST/hr) and whole-facility ($400+GST/day) pricing. Co-located with the Hastings Giants Boxing Academy.
• Rodney Green Foundation Turf Training Facility A world-class high-performance cricket training hub housed in a 65m x 20m custom Cravo greenhouse with fully retractable roof and sides, 16 grass wickets (8 at each end), LED lighting enabling day and evening trainings, and two pitches custom-sown in couch grass on Test-calibre Patumahoe clay for subcontinent conditions training. The only purpose-built greenhouse cricket turf facility in New Zealand. Curated by former McLean Park Head Groundsman Phil Stoyanoff.
• Mitre 10 Park The main cricket venue and multi-sport campus in Hastings housing the Rodney Green Foundation facilities, Sir Graeme S. Avery Hostel, Hawke's Bay Regional Aquatic Centre, Royston Health & Fitness Centre, athletics track, and CDCA offices. The campus attracts 320,000+ visitors per year.
• Chapple Cup Annual men's inter-district T20 cricket tournament contested by all eight CD District Associations, first contested in 1977/78 season. Named after former New Zealand Test captain Murray Chapple.
• Mike Shrimpton Trophy T20 Tournament Women's inter-district T20 tournament established in 2025 in its current T20 format. Named after former New Zealand Test player and coach Mike Shrimpton.
• Copelin Cup Women's inter-district one-day competition (40 overs), formerly the Mike Shrimpton Trophy played as one-day format. Named after Taranaki umpire Stan Copelin.
• Ross Taylor Bat Short-format T20 boys' secondary schools contest introduced in 2018, featuring a trophy donated by Central Stags legend Ross Taylor using his personal bat from scoring a BLACKCAPS century in 2013.
• Aimee Watkins Trophy Short-format T20 girls' secondary schools contest introduced in the 2022/23 season. Named after Central Hinds' and WHITE FERNS' legendary captain Aimee Watkins.
• First XI Cups (QBE First XI Cup Girls and Boys) National school tournament competitions where CD regional champions represent the association at NZC's national First XI Cup finals in Lincoln.
• CD Under 17 Representative Programme CD selects Men's and Women's Under 17 squads to compete in annual NZC national tournaments held at Lincoln, Canterbury.
• CD Under 19 Representative Programme CD selects Men's and Women's Under 19 squads to compete in annual NZC national tournaments at Lincoln, Canterbury. Key pathway to Central Stags and Central Hinds representation. CDCA was the first association to win both NZ U19 national titles in the same season (2021/22).

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 Plunket Shield titles including most recent 2022/23
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Mitre 10coreOthersMajor sponsor providing naming rights for Mitre 10 Park, the multi-sport hub that serves as CDCA headquarters. Facility includes cricket grounds and CDCA offices.
• Rodney Green FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor benefactor providing $1.8M for turf training facility and $1.8M for indoor cricket centre. Philanthropist Rodney Green's foundation supports Hawke's Bay sport development.
• New Zealand Cricket (NZC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational governing body affiliation; CDCA is one of 6 first-class cricket associations. Strategic plan aligned with NZC's national strategy for domestic and community cricket.
• Hastings Giants Boxing AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located at Rodney Green Foundation Indoor Cricket and Boxing Centre, providing cross-training facilities.
• Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust managing aquatic centre and fitness facilities co-located at Mitre 10 Park.
• Gifford Devine (Law Firm)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHastings legal firm providing administrative base for Central Districts Charitable Trust since 1987, hosting meetings and providing secretarial services.
• Somerset County Cricket ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership through Lowe Walker Cricket Scholarship enabling Central Districts cricketers to experience a season in England. Mark Greatbatch was first recipient in 1987.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB): National governing body for cricket in England and Wales, operates county cricket and the professional domestic game. CDCA has a historic partnership with Somerset County Cricket Club through the Lowe Walker Cricket Scholarship, and the ECB's county structure is a comparable model for regional cricket administration.
• New Zealand Cricket: National governing body for cricket in New Zealand, of which CDCA is an affiliated regional association. Operates the BLACKCAPS, WHITE FERNS, and national pathways that CDCA feeds into, and provides funding and strategic direction to CDCA.

Regional players

• Cricket Australia: National governing body for cricket in Australia operating state associations (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, etc.) in a structurally similar model to NZC and its six first-class associations. Comparable federation-style governance, district associations, and elite pathways.
• Cricket South Africa: National governing body for cricket in South Africa operating provincial cricket unions in a structurally similar federation model to NZ Cricket. Provides international comparable for regional cricket administration, franchise leagues, and pathway development.

Direct peers

• Wellington Cricket Association: One of the six first-class NZ cricket associations, fielding the Wellington Firebirds and Wellington Blaze in the same domestic competitions. Closest geographically to CDCA's southern districts and competes for talent and sponsors in the lower North Island.
• Otago Cricket Association: One of the six first-class NZ cricket associations, fielding the Otago Volts and Otago Sparks. Operates an equivalent regional governing body structure with community cricket programmes and shares some overlapping geography with CDCA's South Island districts (Nelson, Marlborough).
• Canterbury Cricket Association: One of the six first-class NZ cricket associations, fielding the Canterbury Kings and Canterbury Magicians. Operates a similar regional governing body model with community cricket, schools programmes, and elite pathways, and competes directly with CDCA in first-class formats.
• Auckland Cricket Association: One of the six first-class NZ cricket associations, fielding the Auckland Aces and Auckland Hearts in the same domestic competitions. Larger urban talent pool and commercial market make it CDCA's primary on-field and commercial competitor in NZ domestic cricket.
• Northern Districts Cricket Association: Another of the six NZ first-class cricket associations, covering Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Counties Manukau. Operates the Northern Districts men's and women's teams in the same domestic competitions as CDCA (Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy, Super Smash) with a similar regional governing body structure.

Others

• Somerset County Cricket Club: Historic English county cricket club partnered with CDCA via the Lowe Walker Cricket Scholarship since 1987, which sends Central Districts cricketers to experience a season in England. Comparable professional first-class cricket team with academy and community programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CentralStags
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-districts-cricket-association
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentralStags
• Instagraminstagram.com/centralhindsnz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Districts Cricket Association