Our Vision

Empowering With-Promise Youth Since 1995

Using cricket as a vehicle to provide equal opportunities for all children, Southern California Junior Cricket Academy aims to enhance the lives of with-promise youth by pioneering inclusive cricketing programs, advocating for higher education, and building a global cricketing community.

Our Story

Established by Dr. Maurice Anthony (Tony) Verity in 1995, Southern California Junior Cricket Academy (SCJCA) strove to bring the world’s second-most popular sport – cricket – specifically to with-promise boys and girls throughout the inner cities of Southern California. Dr. Verity believed that promoting cricket in the U.S. meant starting with the American youth, and that all children must be given the same opportunities regardless of circumstances, economics, beliefs, or disabilities. Since the inception of the program, SCJCA has impacted more than 1,000 inner-city, at-promise youth.

Shortly after forming SCJCA, Dr. Verity partnered with David Sentance in 1996 in an effort to further his vision for with-promise youth cricket. At the same time, Mustafa Khan invited Ted Hayes and Katy Haber to Compton, CA in an effort to teach cricket to a group of young gang members and homeless community members as an alternative to gang violence, substance abuse, and homelessness. These new players would go on to form the “Homies and the Pops” teams that would become the Compton Cricket Club, later touring England (as many as four times), Ireland, and Australia. For the next 20 years, Sentance and Khan would work closely together teaching youth cricket in Los Angeles, Watts, and Compton, starting with the Sheenway School and Culture Center in South-Central Los Angeles.

In 2014, David Sentance took the lead on SCJCA. Sentance immediately brought Mustafa Khan onto the executive board as an officer and cricket coach. Together, they vowed to continue to promote youth cricket as a vehicle to deter with-promise children from gangs, drugs, bullying, and criminal activity.

Today, SCJCA is managed by a diverse team of executives who bring global experience, local insight, and a wide variety of skills to the table. With the help of local coaches and organizations across the globe, SCJCA teams like the Compton Sharks have trained their way into regional tournaments hosted by the Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA) in 2019 and Willow Academy in Northern California in early 2020. With continued support from countless volunteers, organizations, and supporters like you, SCJCA envisions a program that changes the lives of thousands more of our inner-city youth through cricket.

To help our with-promise players achieve their goals and dreams, consider making a donation today! SCJCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 81-0797746). All donations are tax-deductible.