The birth of the NJSCUA in Feb 2009 was not an easy one. As to whether or not it was a happy event rather depended, we suppose, upon which side of the fence one was on. As many local cricket followers are well aware, it came about as the result of a few like minded clubs / individuals breaking away from a local premier cricket league, to form what was, in their eyes and vision, an elitist body which would, under it's new title, The New Jersey State Cricket and Umpire's Association (NJSCUA), have full control of it is own affairs and it's ultimate destiny, to promote the sport of Cricket in the area.

Most certainly it was the cause of a furor in certain local cricket circles. There must have been a very real sense of betrayal felt, whilst the acute bitterness experienced by those on the fringe of the 'breakaway gang' can only be imagined.

The "breakaway" clubs / individuals were largely concerned with a hoped-for raising of standards and quality of Cricket, its administration mechanism and its officials in general. They were also keen to eliminate the specter of relegation, something against which they had all fought at one time or another during their previous Association days.

The men generally regarded as having been the "villains" or the "heroes" of the affair, depending upon which viewpoint one takes, were the three co-founders of NJSCUA; Mr. Deepak Katte, Mr. Syed Ahmed and Mr. Govind Itwaru, who had all previously held senior Executive positions in various Cricket Leagues, had a common purpose, objective and vision summarized as below. Their love for the game was motivation enough to put in hours of hard work and travel, in meeting together and formulating a sound organizational base for the League.

Season 2009, the first season of the League, had 7 Clubs in its FULL membership for the 40 overs a side competition and a total of 11 new teams had joined our inaugural NJSCUA T20 competition, starting mid Sept, 2009, making it a total of 18 teams. 

Starting a new Cricket League, right from scratch and building it brick by brick, putting all the processes in place and that too in a timely manner & to sustain the same for the whole season, without any bias or prejudice, is no child's play for anyone.  The accomplishments of necessary tasks to effectively run the League were never easy especially when they were being done just by a "handful" of honest but dedicated individuals, who besides working full-time elsewhere & having family commitments, were performing all of the hard work on a "voluntary" basis, just for the benefit of members/clubs. These "hard working individuals" were literally left behind with nothing but an abundance of challenge and a mountain to climb & to make the matters worse, time NOT being on their side.

Fortunately these "hard working individuals" had the "will" and "determination" to take any challenge, "head-on", ONLY for the sole purpose of achieving the objectives for which the League was formed in the first place. The result of their will "power" & "grit" has seen the League launch right from its infancy stage towards taking a giant leap in all aspects a Cricket League should be proud of, such as; fairness, quality, competition, finance, quality umpiring and overall management. This was accomplished in a very short span of time while also raising the bar & setting a new benchmark for others to follow. 

The following are highlights some of our achievements during season 2009-2010;

• Becoming a NJ State registered and more so, as a Federally registered NON-Profit Organization with a IRS sec. 501 (c) (7) approval for tax purposes, in the very first year of League's operation.

• Creating a comprehensive/competitive membership Application package, a Constitution document as well as Cricket By-Laws document, both of which forms the basis of the League's operation as well as a unique trademark Logo recognizing the League.

• Advertising and procuring membership from several new teams for regular season and more significantly for the T-20 where we had a total of 11 new teams joining us. 

• Procuring, hosting & maintaining a state of the art Cricket League website & further enhancing to suit our requirements. 

• Putting processes in place to effectively deal with any situation, on or off the field. The fact that there were very insignificant Disciplinary Committee issues during the whole season illustrates the forethought on this count. 

• Bringing in professionalism into the process and loads of innovations during the games as if to set a benchmark for others to follow. 

• Identifying and engaging services of highly qualified umpires, the best available in the area and successfully scheduling & coordinating with teams & Umpires as well as tackling situations to the best of our ability just for smooth operation, during the whole season. 

• Successfully completing 2 Tournament Finals; one a regular season (40 overs a side) finals and second, the T-20 Finals. The planning/organization of the latter especially were very complex with the involvement of 11 new/unknown teams & considering that management were "inexperienced". This to all of us is biggest highlight of our achievement. 

• Developing strategic relationship with many sponsors and other outside organizations in a way that is mutually beneficial to both. Several sponsors shared our vision and had contributed generously in our first season itself. 

• For the first time in the history of a Cricket League in USA, a league has taken the initiative & steps to train its Members & Umpires on Cricket Laws and provided resources necessary for an official certification. This to us is a very big feather in the cap since no other League has every achieved anything this significant.

Season 2010, the second season of the League, saw 3 of its first season members, viz ECT, Excalibur CC, New Brunswick CC, dropping out from their membership.  We have learnt not to despair in the face of challenges, nor run away at the first instance of discontent, as if being reminded of the words of a famous writer, that, "...progress has not followed a straight ascending line, but a spiral with rhythms of progress and retrogression, of evolution and dissolution".  As if a counter to the 3 teams leaving us, 3 new teams; Planet CC, Dynamic CC and Club For Cricketers, signed up for FULL membership, thus keeping the overall FULL membership count to be 7 Clubs, the same as previous season.

All in all, the future of cricket in NJSCUA looks bright at the present moment and in the near future.  Despite disturbances during the last year, NJSCUA has so far remained in good overall shape on all fronts of the League and all the major programs planned for the season were accomplished with spectacular success. This is ONLY a job half done though. We believe this ensuing year will be the defining year for our progress, which we can back up with the lessons learnt from previous season.

We step into 2010 season with enthusiasm and the belief of making the League even more compelling, spectacular and multi-faceted than ever before & taking the League to new heights. As the journey continues, we assure our members, prospective members & sponsors that we will do what we promise we'll do, which is to make playing in cricket with NJSCUA, cheap & enjoyable. The challenges towards further progress, betterment & achieving the League's objectives remain daunting but our resolve is firm. We look forward to your continued support and your commitment to the League.

In the years to come, we sincerely hope all of these dedications, hard work & processes put in place, will eventually pay us a lot of dividends in terms of helping the League grow leaps & bounds, while adding more new clubs to its membership, thus fulfilling the objectives of the League inception.

On a different note, NJSCUA wishes to express out heartfelt thanks to all those dedicated volunteers whose time, effort and hard work has gotten the League, up and running and to be where we are today, especially in a very short span of time.

The New Jersey State Cricket and Umpire's Association (NJSCUA) is a non-political, non-profit organization, created for educational and recreational purposes, for fostering community relation while promoting the growth and development of the sport of cricket for its youth members, members and member clubs, Umpire's and Scorers, both locally in the State of New Jersey and if possible nationally, as well as educating & training its members, Cricket Umpires & Scorers, to felicitate them for being recognized as Qualified Umpires/officials.

NJSCUA shall govern the game of cricket under its purview subject to its' Constitution and By-Laws, the MCC Laws of Cricket, Regulations stipulated International Cricket Conference (ICC) and their designated affiliate in USA and in accordance with the statutes of the United States of America, the State of New Jersey and any local laws.

NJSCUA is a US Federal Govt. registered as well as New Jersey State Govt. registered Non-Profit Organization and has also been granted Federal non-profit tax exemption status under IRS section 501 (c) (7).

The Organization, its' Executives, Trustees and Members will all operate and working as a team; voluntarily, without bias to race, religion, nationality or ethnic background and without prejudice, fear or favor, at the same time being fair, just and utterly impartial, while, in highest ethical standards, with utmost priority to openness, honesty & integrity, fairness & equality and respect for our diversity, thus making playing Cricket for our members, enjoyable, at the same time cheaper, free from 'politics' & 'power hungry' individuals.

In a nutshell, we at NJSCUA would do what we say we are going to do, in the way we say we are going to do it. Everything we do and every decision we make is motivated by a desire to serve the game and our members better, since we believe they deserve nothing but the best.

The New Jersey State Cricket and Umpire's Association (NJSCUA) shall be a non-political, non-profit organization, in promoting the sport of cricket, with the following objectives;
1. NJSCUA shall be responsible for promoting, encouraging, organizing season-long competitive cricket between its teams, and other leagues locally & (whenever possible) nationally, while protecting its unique spirit.

2. NJSCUA shall organize annual championship competition's of various formats with teams under its authority, to captivate and inspire people of every age, gender, background and ability while building bridges between continents, countries and communities alike.

3. NJSCUA will provide, organize, supervise and regulate friendly and sportsmanlike competition among the teams of the member clubs, while delivering outstanding, memorable events and excellent service to its members and its affiliates.

4. NJSCUA will ensure that play is conducted within the proper spirit, tradition and laws of the game of cricket and the playing rules of the League and its governing body.

5. NJSCUA will affiliate as necessary on behalf of the member clubs with other appropriate sports governing bodies.

6. NJSCUA will institute and support an association for the regulation and continuous training of its members & cricket officials, e.g. Umpires & Scorers, etc.

7. NJSCUA will outreach to the general public, as well as other organizations or reputable professionals or Liaise with local or state officials, which promote cricket or create cricket development programs or develop the game, for the sake and benefit of its members.

8. NJSCUA shall raise funds to support its training, coaching, exhibitions, seminars and other programs that promote/foster the sport of cricket and youth development in schools and elsewhere; by such means as are consistent with the laws of New Jersey ethics and the purpose of the NJSCUA.