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Building the future: MLC CEO Johnny Grave's mission to unify and professionalise US Cricket
File photo of Johnny Grave, the MLC CEO.
Johnny Grave, former CEO of Cricket West Indies, has taken charge as the new CEO of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States, transitioning from managing an established cricket nation to leading a T20 league in America.
In his first four months, Grave has expanded MLC venues from two to three for the 2025 season, including securing the Oakland Coliseum, and is working to establish cricket infrastructure while preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The move to secure Oakland Coliseum required coordinating the shipment of drop-in pitches from New York and assembling international pitch curators to ensure T20-standard surfaces.
This expansion comes after criticism of wicket quality during the 2023 T20 World Cup.
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Grave faces the challenge of organising America's fragmented cricket landscape, which includes Minor League Cricket (MiLC), various T20 leagues, and century-old summer leagues. He aims to create a unified structure between MLC and USA Cricket.
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"The road map should be very clear that by playing in an academy, playing in a local league, getting selected for Minor League cricket and from Minor League cricket, playing in those open tournaments and then continuing to perform will lead you into getting drafted for Major League and then hopefully to USA colours.
That's probably where we need a bit more alignment with, with all the ownership group and all the cricket that's been placed, and bring a bit of structure into that," Grave stated in a conversation with Cricbuzz.
MLC has secured nearly $100 million in Series A and B funding rounds. The league is working to create sustainable business models for Minor League Cricket, where team ownership currently costs up to $160,000 per season.
"We have really positive talks about redefining the business model for Minor League to help them become sustainable, both from a league perspective and the individual owners. And I think one of the things that's become very clear is that there is a sustainable vision for Minor League," Grave explained.
Players with both MLC and USA Cricket contracts can earn approximately $120,000 annually, reaching $135,000 with additional tournament earnings.
However, mid-to-lower tier players earn between $10,000 and $40,000 annually.
"We've had really good discussions with the players' union. We're probably going to be the first league in the US to sign an agreement with the players' union, which mainly focuses on the domestic players and supporting them and being seen as a player-friendly ecosystem is really important to us," Grave said.
Grave believes the U.S. could achieve ICC full member status with proper infrastructure development.
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics presents a significant opportunity for cricket's growth in America.
"The LA28 Olympics will have an amazing boost to the sport at all levels. And we've got to be ready with USA cricket to capitalise on that, both in terms of greater enthusiasm in the grassroots, in the schools and the colleges, but also in terms of the fan base, and not making it just a one-off," Grave emphasised.
During his tenure at Cricket West Indies, Grave helped revive international cricket during the pandemic by organising the England vs.
West Indies Test series under bio-bubble protocols. The Caribbean Premier League became the first T20 franchise league to resume during COVID under his leadership.
"I think the US already has a very compelling case to become a full member infrastructurally with all the MLC has been putting in. The one concern I think that the game of cricket would have would be the ongoing governance challenges that the board has faced over pretty much all of its recent history," Grave noted regarding USA Cricket's ICC membership prospects.
