Rob Moran is aware that he’s facing a unique challenge by attempting to promote the growth of cricket in Mongolia.
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Therefore, establishing a “long, long-term plan” has been necessary.
“It’s in its infancy over there,” he said.
“Their aim is to have a one-day team, and they want to get into the one-day World Cup within 50 years.
“When you’re introducing a new sport into a country which has never seen it before, you have to be realistic and aim long-term.”
Kangaroo Valley’s Mr Moran was recently appointed as a volunteer cricket coach/mentor for the Mongolia Amateur Cricket Association.
The position is for a duration of about four months, commencing in July.
Mr Moran is a woodwork/food tech/metal tech/construction teacher at Chevalier College.
Aside from coaching school cricket, Mr Moran is a member of the Bowral Cricket Club.
Mr Moran is also a former aid worker, volunteering in Kenya, Nepal and Samoa.
This will be his first trip to Mongolia. His new role is part of the federal government’s Australian Volunteers for International Development program.
“I have been asked to mentor and train cricket coaches, endorse cricket to the wider Mongolian community, implement a getting to know cricket program into schools in Mongolia, and launch a digital media profile,” the 51-year-old said.
Mr Moran said cricket’s presence in Mongolia stemmed from Battulga Gombo.
“He came to Australia to study, and he fell in love with cricket while he was here,” Mr Moran said.
“He went back to Mongolia and started to try and establish it, so he got in touch with Australian and British expats in Mongolia.
“They petitioned the government and within a national park they’ve been given a cricket ground, called the Mongolian Friendship Cricket Ground.
“It’s just outside Ulaanbaatar, the capital.
“They’ve put an AstroTurf pitch there, and they have some cricket nets there at the ground.”
Mr Moran admitted that “the standard is not brilliant and I’ve got a lot to do”.
“We’ll be taking it into schools as a development, so the kids can get a taste of it,” he said.
“When I’m 100 and they make the Cricket World Cup, I can die happy,” he joked.
