State cricket coach and Perth Catholic Justin Langer has put his hand up to be the coach of the newly-formed Vatican cricket team, the St Peter’s Cricket Club.
Langer, who is contracted as coach of the WA side until the completion of the 2015/16 season, told The Record he would relish the opportunity to coach the team, that will likely consist of priests and seminarians studying in Rome.
“I’d be very happy to be their coach,” he said.
“One of my dreams was always to go to Italy, to go to the Vatican, so one day I’ll go there.
“If they want a coach, you get the message out to the Pope for me, or to the Archbishop, that I’m very happy to go there as their coach, because I’ve always wanted to go to the Vatican.”
Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See John McCarthy QC greeted Langer’s enthusiasm for the task with delight, but said the team’s inaugural coach will be chosen from within Rome.
“Justin’s interest is keenly appreciated by all of us,” Mr McCarthy told The Record.
“However, the membership of the club will be priests and seminarians working and studying in Rome. From this group, teams, administrators and coaches will all be drawn.”
But Mr McCarthy, who was the brains behind the initial idea to form a Vatican cricket team, did not rule out the possibility of Langer playing a role with the team in the future.
“These are the plans for the next couple of years,” he said. “In the long term, a higher standard of cricket may evolve and Justin may become further interested.”
The Vatican cricket team was an initiative jointly led by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Australian embassy to the Holy See.
It is believed that there are as many as 300 international seminarians and priests studying in Rome who could potentially play cricket for the Vatican side, including Australians, Indians and Sri Lankans.
The cricket team was launched on October 22 and hopes to play against teams formed by other denominations.
Mr McCarthy said the Vatican team plans to play against an Anglican team at England’s home of cricket, Lord’s, next year.