Introducing Clive

I am glad to be writing this piece in our new blog section on the ACO website. I have been working on ways to develop our website and this is one of our additions.

Meet Clive, the new ECB ACO mascot who sits proudly on the second floor

Now I will explain the picture. Clive, as he is known, is the ACO office mascot. My colleague Rebecca has regularly been updating his look to help us advertise the department within the ECB.

Recently I have been working with the ECB lawyer and Nick Cousins to secure the rights to the ‘Umpires Assistant’ – an informative disc-based training aid. We have hit a few problems but hope to start production soon.

I have also met the MCC Events team to start plans for the inaugural ACO Conference in October. As soon as plans are finalised I will publish the date and details on the website and in the newsletter.

Another one of my roles is to manage the ACO accounts. I have recently completed a cost per course update for Nick so that he can plan the second part of the Level 2 Courses and keep in budget.

I have also met with Jane Hannah from the 'V' team to find out where ACO can gain more funding towards officials' education.

I have been in constant communication with our database developers, IRIS, to update our system to enable paperless direct debits and credit cards payments. It will not be long before these will all be available online, allowing the ACO members to be in control of their own membership renewals.

My responsibilities also cover our ACO merchandise. I am glad to see the initial ‘primary’ range has been distributed and I have witnessed officials looking very smart on the field. The next step is to produce the catalogue in conjunction with Duncan Fearnley.

I have been working to find the ACO a new sponsor. This has involved discussions with the ECB Sponsorship department and talking to relevant agencies. It is a difficult job in the current economic climate but there are a few companies in the picture and I plan to have an agreement in place for the 2010 season.

The new sponsor will also be involved with our new annual award programme - ACO Recognition of National Skills (ACORNS), our equivalent to the OSCAs. These will recognise the work of ACO members in different aspects of the game.

On the same theme I have written the criteria for the first official awards at the OSCAs. I am pleased to announce that this has been approved and 'Outside the Scorebox' will be on the awards list this year.

Another of my projects is the ACO Marketing plan. This is taking shape and after a successful photo shoot with Peter Willey the final artwork has been agreed. I am excited by the new campaign and look forward to monitoring its success. Printing will be underway in the near future.

On a personal note I am recovering slowly from a gardening injury. It is a long process but I look forward to being back to full fitness in August. So with no cricket to play I will watch enviously from the boundary and join in with other spectators by offering advice to players and officials alike.

I am also learning to play golf if anyone fancies a round...