Don Lockerbie Part 2 - Episode 10: Stripes & Stripes Cricket Podcast presented by DreamCricket

Episode Overview (Part 2 of the “Don Lockerbie trilogy”)

This episode continues Lockerbie’s journey after the 2007 Cricket World Cup—when he supported stadium/venue consulting that helped enable World Cup infrastructure work—and follows his move into U.S. cricket leadership. It emphasizes how cricket governance, politics, and U.S. market realities shaped his early years as CEO of USA Cricket.

From the 2007 World Cup to the road toward USA Cricket (2008–2009)

• Lockerbie says the end of the 2007 World Cup was not truly “the end” for him personally. In 2008, he worked on post-tournament operational cleanup, including:
  • Distributing money
  • Resolving vendor payment issues
  • Handling legal and administrative fallout
• He took time to recover (sleeping on or near his home in Barbados), but stayed professionally active:
  • Worked on renovating Vancouver’s BC Place (for the CFL; later used by other sports franchises)
  • Began work connected to the London Olympics, treating it as a major next phase
• He considered other opportunities, including potential ICC-related roles in India or moving to Dubai, but was ultimately drawn to the CEO path when he realized the growing conversation about T20 cricket and the Olympics could make U.S. leadership strategically important.
• His attraction to the USA Cricket CEO role was tied to a belief that if T20 cricket became Olympic, then leading the U.S. cricket federation would connect him to the broader U.S. Olympic ecosystem.

How he got the CEO role—and why it was complicated immediately

• Lockerbie says he was recruited when USA Cricket needed a CEO as a “final ticket” to meet ICC requirements after suspension.
• He interviewed in early 2009 and presented a plan to:
  • The selection group
  • Later, the full board
• When he arrived for a board meeting in late March 2009, he discovered:
  • There hadn’t been a board meeting in over a year
  • He delivered the same proposal he’d already presented in the selection process, but the wider board hadn’t been exposed to it
• He describes early board dynamics as dysfunctional and factional:
  • On his first day, he recounts a near fistfight between board members, followed quickly by renewed “no confidence” dynamics
  • Afterward, he describes working in a highly politicized environment where governance was divided into “clicks” aligned by regional and ethnic constituencies (e.g., West Indian, South Asian/Indian, Pakistani, etc.)

Board politics vs. the operational role of CEO

Lockerbie contrasts what he expected with what he experienced:

• He expected boards to provide direction and give CEOs room to execute within a defined mandate.
• Instead, he says board members:
  • Micro-managed heavily through constant emails and conflicting guidance
  • Copied him on internal disputes, including disputes that involved personal and political matters
• He frames the situation as less about cricket strategy and more about:
  • Power
  • Trust
  • Internal alignment

Relationships with key figures (including Gladstone Dainty)

Lockerbie describes his relationship with Gladstone Dainty (a prominent board leader) as:

• Publicly cordial, including:
  • Introductions
  • Strategy discussions
  • Participation in high-level meetings
• Privately, Lockerbie says rumors later suggested Dainty may not have fully backed him behind the scenes, but he stops short of confirming specifics.
• He emphasizes Dainty is often portrayed as:
  • Intelligent and sophisticated
  • Politically capable
  • Strategically manipulative in managing other board members rather than “incompetent.”

Lockerbie’s development plan: markets, sponsorship, and international cricket

Key elements of his envisioned strategy for growing U.S. cricket included:

• A pathway from sponsorship to professionalism
  • Since sponsors want the national team to matter, he aimed to build U.S. heroes and stars
  • Sponsorship would fund professional coaches and contracted full-time athletes
• A contracted national-team talent pool
  • He mentions targeting roughly 30–50 players under contract
  • Some would be on call for broader national-team needs
• Expanding match opportunities across countries/venues
  • Because the U.S. wasn’t quickly playing “certain” Caribbean sides as expected, he planned incremental exposure through tournaments and matches in:
    • Italy
    • Abu Dhabi
    • Nepal
    • Singapore

The “tender” concept and the Cricket New Zealand partnership idea

• Lockerbie pushed for a tender to bring in top international sports marketing and management firms to improve U.S. cricket’s commercial viability.
• A pivotal proposal came from Cricket New Zealand:
  • New Zealand would play international matches in the U.S. during their “winter” (New Zealand summer), with shared revenue.
• He describes valuation growth:
  • In a hypothetical/commercial structure, USA Cricket’s commercial rights were valued at about $60 million
  • He says an investor was ready to put up money, with teams like India, Australia, and England anticipated in a scheduled model (May–October window)
• Despite this, Lockerbie says board opposition ultimately “hijacked” or derailed momentum—though he claims some early components still moved forward (e.g., Under-19 arrangements and the coach hire).

The Pearl’s Cup (2010) and the financial/operational lessons

Lockerbie highlights the Pearl’s Cup in Fort Lauderdale as an early milestone:

• New Zealand and Sri Lanka were brought to play T20Is in the U.S.
• Logistics and prestige were emphasized, including:
  • Hotels
  • Embassy events
  • Police/security planning
  • Strong hospitality
• The U.S. also played Jamaica
  • Lockerbie leveraged relationships
  • He also pays the Jamaican side, avoiding obstruction from the West Indies Cricket Board
• Despite success in experience and visibility, the event lost money.

Why it lost money (and what it revealed about the U.S. market)

Lockerbie explains the loss in terms of economics and ticket demand:

• A Thursday match was canceled due to extremely low ticket sales (about 250 sold).
• Costs and guarantees would have made the event financially disastrous.
• He connects this to broader U.S. cricket market challenges, including:
  • Attendance fluctuations in the Caribbean Premier League
  • Poor midweek crowds

He argues the U.S. cricket market differs from regions where cricket fandom is deeply rooted:

• He contrasts weaker U.S. “sellability” for cricket with the ability to sell out teams like India in major venues.
• He also stresses that fans can be parochial, not necessarily supporting all matchups—for example, some diaspora groups may prioritize their own teams over attending U.S. matches against other associates.

Media rights and infrastructure mismatch

• Lockerbie cites a major cost: ESPN was paid a substantial amount to televise the series (he cites $200,000).
• He says the stadium wasn’t designed for TV coverage:
  • Expensive camera stands/platforms had to be constructed
• VIP/hospitality plans were constrained as well:
  • Some premium tiers weren’t supported because board stakeholders were unwilling to pay
  • As a result, hospitality was handled through lower-cost arrangements

Security costs and geopolitical context

Lockerbie describes security as unusually expensive and complicated:

• Events tied to the Sri Lankan team’s circumstances (post-attack repercussions affecting Pakistan’s ability to host cricket) contributed to:
  • Intensive law enforcement and defense involvement
• He describes a high security posture and noted teams were cautious about fan interaction until after the second game.

Looking forward: IPL in Las Vegas and legal gambling as a growth lever

The episode ends by tying these challenges to Lockerbie’s later ideas:

• He discusses interactions with Lalit Modi while planning for IPL-style opportunities in the U.S., including Las Vegas.
• Lockerbie advocates that (regulated) sports gambling could increase engagement and act as a marketing mechanism:
  • He calls match-fixing the worst form of cheating
  • But argues legal, regulated betting can reduce incentives for underground betting
  • He cites parallels from U.S. sports and from his involvement/consulting around MLS and other American sports models
• He frames Vegas as a potential cricket hotspot due to:
  • Event concentration
  • Night games
  • Legal on-site wagering using a temporary-venue approach similar to previous large-event builds.

Presenters / Contributors

• Peter (Alpena) — host of the Stars & Stripes Cricket Podcast
• Don Lockerbie — guest (former USA Cricket Association CEO; recounts interviews and experiences)