Jonty Rhodes promises to build cricket ecosystem in Rotterdam to groom European cricketers

Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaasen acquired the Rotterdam franchise of the European T20 Premier League. The season is scheduled to begin on August 26, with Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin and Belfast being named the five other teams. The six-team franchise tournament is expected to elevate cricket in the European sub-continent, especially after the rise of Italy, Scotland and Netherlands in recent times.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, April 30, Rotterdam announced Faf du Plessis as the new captain of the franchise. During the media interaction, co-owner Jonty Rhodes promised to build a cricketing ecosystem in Rotterdam to help European cricket grow. However, it’s difficult as the players can’t play during the winter months, as the grounds are covered in snow. Netherlands’ media manager shared the details during the T20 World Cup 2026, highlighting the problem of the local players.

Jonty assured to solve the issue. He explained Rotterdam’s goal to bring players to India and South Africa and train them in a high-performance environment. He believes that the four-week



tournament won’t allow the players to grow to their full potential and thus, they will groom them for the majority of the year, allowing them to enjoy the facilities that the other players enjoy. 

“So what we are planning to do is from Europe, from Rotterdam, to India, to Southern Africa. We are trying to ensure exactly that. It’s not a four-week tournament. You are not going to make a dent in anything in four weeks. But, during their winter season, we provide them the opportunity to come to India, come to South Africa. Play club cricket, have coaching facilities that are outside the European summer. When it’s winter there, they still have the opportunity to work as a part of a squad, work in a high-performance environment for eight to ten months in a year,” Jonty answered India TV’s question during the media interaction.

“We don’t want to just grow the players but the entire ecosystem. So, we have local staff, local management and coaching. So, get those coaches into India, get those coaches in South Africa, where we can grow their game too,” he added.