SLC overstaffed?

• Monthly combined salaries of over Rs. 57 million
• Number of staff increased five fold since Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996
• Some staff members hold voting rights as members of clubs, but SLC says preventive measures taken at ensure they are not involved in voting or AGMs

By Amindha de Alwis

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) stated that their existing staffing levels, which amount to 185 employees on their payroll, is justified given their continuing growth.

A public perception exists that SLC is over-staffed beyond requirements, and the Dailymirror sought both sides of the story regarding the matter.

As of December 2022, SLC had 185 staff on its payroll, with their combined salaries exceeding Rs. 57 million; the number of staff employed being close to five times the number as when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996.

Secretary of SLC Mohan de Silva commented that the number in employment was justified, citing that the game has progressed significantly with much more women’s and junior cricket, for instance, being played in the island.

He detailed the number of matches to be held in 2023 across Major Club tournaments, the Governor’s Trophy, Women’s tournaments, as well as Inter-Provincial and Youth Tournaments, showing a marked increase in games when compared to four years back. He added that the National Super League and Lanka Premier League were also introduced recently.

In terms of finances, de Silva stated that their accounts are audited by the Auditor General and that SLC has seen a sharp growth in revenue in recent years, recording revenue levels of Rs. 17.5 billion last year and Rs. 7.9 billion in 2021. Revenue in the preceding years of 2020 and 2019 read Rs. 4.1 billion and Rs. 4.4 billion, respectively.

“Compared to the number of employees around 2011-2013, there has been an increase in numbers. I acknowledge the fact. But the fact is, we have expanded. We have grown financially, and we are playing more tournaments now,” de Silva said.

De Silva also touched upon the success of the Lanka Premier League as part of that growth.

“We realised the importance of playing league cricket to improve our standards and keep pace with the rest of the world. In the height of the pandemic, we were lucky to stage this event, thanks to the blessings of the then government and the Sports Minister.”

"Not only did we provide opportunities for our young and emerging players to improve their skills and standards, we were able to identify a lot of new talent, and also, we were successful in running it profitably. We made almost 1 million dollars in revenue in the first year,” he commented.

However, De Silva did concede that SLC may be over-staffed when compared to other cricket boards around the world.

“Compared to some of the other countries, we may be over-staffed, but Sri Lanka and our admin structure is different. It differs from a state model such as Australia. Sri Lanka is a small country operating from head office and supports the provinces and districts under us with the minimum staff,” he said.

On the other hand, a top sports official alleged that many of the staff employed are voters or connected to voters at SLC elections.

He drew into question how many of these individuals came through a standard recruitment process, particularly at provincial and district levels, expressing that the numbers employed were far beyond what they were.

When questioned on if employees with voting rights are present among the 185 names listed under their payroll, de Silva acknowledged that some are members of clubs but that SLC does take preventive measures to ensure that they are not involved in the voting process and never entertained at AGMs.

CEO of SLC Ashley de Silva did not put forward any comments regarding the matter.

While the growth of the game cannot be disputed, it is contested whether there exists a requirement for as many general administrative staff as currently present, as opposed to a situation where the bulk of new staff are those connected with enhancing the technical aspect of the game.