First the International Cricket Council suspends USA Cricket's membership with immediate effect, but national team was still eligible to compete in ICC
Now USA Cricket, the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport, announced it has voluntarily filed for financial reorganization under Chapter 11, Subchapter V of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This aggressive, but necessary legal move is the best path forward to ensure the future of American cricket.
USA Cricket CEO Johnathan Atkeison, who joined the organization in 2024 after previously contributing to a successful reorganization of USA Rugby, emphasized that this action is designed to reorganize financially, give the organization time to address concerns raised by the International Cricket Council, and to level the playing field against powerful entities that seek to exploit the American arm of the sport.
One factor to USA Cricket’s need for financial reorganization was the financial strain and operational interference caused by the ACE agreement. The original 50-year agreement, which heavily favors ACE, does not appear to have been completed at arm’s length as understood by the USA Cricket Board. It was negotiated largely by one USA Cricket Board member who did not disclose certain conflicts of interest that both he and his employer had with ACE affiliates.
The financial terms directly reflect this lack of arm’s-length dealing. Instead of fair market value, USAC receives only a small percentage of ACE’s gross cricket-related revenues. This arrangement purports to preclude USA Cricket from seeking team sponsors or broadcast partners, and effectively limits other events and competition from entering the market. USA Cricket’s national team commercial rights are valued at over $5 million annually, a figure ACE has never come close to achieving, to the detriment of USA Cricket.
The USA Cricket Board terminated the ACE Agreement on August 22, 2025, as a direct result of ACE’s unwillingness to comply with its own unconscionable contract. Over the course of the contract, ACE has consistently refused to pay USA Cricket substantial monies owed. While obligated to fund all costs for USA Cricket National Teams, ACE’s support has been inconsistent, delayed, or often simply absent. ACE has, in fact, never paid USA Cricket for player or staff salaries, instead utilizing a unilateral and implausible interpretation of the agreement to offset its Major League Cricket salaries against amounts due to USA Cricket.
ACE also failed to deliver on promised infrastructure projects. The agreement stipulates the development of six (6) ICC grade stadiums by 2025, yet ACE has developed only one stadium to date. This failure is critical as the sport gears up for its first Olympic debut in 100 years at LA 2028.
Although USA Cricket desired to negotiate a resolution of its issues with ACE, even briefly suspending the termination in order to engage in good faith negotiations, ACE’s sole response was to use its financial might to attempt to bully and coerce USA Cricket into submission.
“We have been forced into the protections of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court because ACE is well aware of its stature as an 800lb gorilla and has weaponized its financial muscle to frustrate our ability to govern the sport” said Corey MacDonald, USA Cricket General Counsel.
Legal and Financial Clarity Achieved
The Chapter 11 filing was made in part, to address the challenges presented by the unfortunate timing of the International Cricket Council’s suspension of USA Cricket, coupled with the litigation and governance reforms.
“This Chapter 11 filing is a decisive move to secure our ability to address the patently inequitable contracts of the past, correct our financial situation, achieve governance reforms and finally build the world-class NGB America deserves, with an eye toward LA2028. We look forward to sharing more of our story over the coming days,” said Johnathan Atkeison, CEO.
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