Stars align for Watson’s passion project

Shane Watson’s T20 Stars is a passion project on two fronts.

Firstly, like most who love the game of cricket, Watson admits to being obsessed with cricket gear.

“When I was young, it was like Christmas every time I got some new gear,” he says. “And I see the same in kids today – kids who are obsessed with what their stars use and why they use it, and what the different features are. It’s universal and it’s the same as I was when I was coming through the ranks,” says Watson.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Watson wants young boys and girls to not have any barriers to play a sport that he says taught him so much – not just about cricket, but about life.

“I want cricket to be accessible to every young boy and girl. I think it’s the best game in the world, because it teaches you so many different life skills – whether that’s resilience, or teamwork or work ethic, leadership – every aspect of life you can learn through the game of cricket,” says Watson.

When Watson hears kids considering whether they should play cricket or basketball or other sports, he wants them to choose cricket. Part of the inspiration behind T20 Stars was to give them the best option to play cricket because he knows what an incredible game it is to be able to learn.

Over the past few years, Watson has loved how cricket has evolved to provide not just a pathway for young boys, but also an incredible pathway for young girls.

“My son just wants to watch cricket – whether it’s the girls or the boys, whether its WBBL or BBL, it doesn’t worry him, he just wants to watch cricket.”

Watson says this is an important part of T20 Stars – that it’s a universal brand across male and female because that’s the future of the game.

“It’s an incredible thing for young girls, and for cricket to be a leader in that pathway.

“It’s a legacy piece for me and a big part of why I’ve dug into this business the way that I have – to understand where the holes have been and why things have got to where they are across the board with cricket gear, and where I can find a niche to be able to make sure that every young kid who wants to get involved in cricket has that opportunity.”

Watson says he wants to be able to help make cricket accessible for everyone so that they can share those experiences.

“I’ve been so fortunate throughout my career to be sponsored by and supported by some of the biggest brands in the cricket world and wasn’t until the last few of years that I fully understood the enormity of the problem that cricket has become more elitist and less affordable – particularly for young kids who are just starting out.”

With a young family of his own, Watson has found that with so many of the parents he talks to about cricket, one of the first things that comes up is all the gear required to get started. This is something that has been exacerbated by the impacts of COVID where kids no longer have access to team kits.

“Parents talk to me all the time about wanting to get their son or daughter into cricket, but it’s such a big investment – and that they don’t know what to buy. Those two things together – the expense and not knowing what they need – are pain points that continue to grow.

“This is the solution that I’m hoping to bring to the market.”

With T20 Stars, Watson is bringing his understanding as to why the investment required to play cricket has got to where it has and combine that with his experience, genuine passion and understanding of the details of what goes into making the best bat and the best gloves and pads.

“From a design point of view, I want to make them as good as they possibly can be across the range, but I also want to simplify that whole process, so people can understand they can get the best quality product in the range they are looking at,” says Watson.

“I’ve just tried to cut out all of the noise and options as it can be overwhelming – whether if you go into a cricket store or if you buy online. A lot of the time it’s just so confusing and very overwhelming for people, particularly parents to understand the difference between certain products, why some are more expensive, why are they not, which one should I get.”

All the T20 Stars products are universally designed, from the entry level all the way up to the top of the range. The fundamentals of each of the product, such as the shape of the bat, are the same. What varies is the material – for example, the quality of the wood varies – from the entry level, which is grade four willow, through to the top of the range which uses grade one willow.

“The bat shape is what I believe, what I use, is the best shape all-round cricket bat for any cricketer, so, I don’t need to know the specifics of do I need this sort of handle or this sort of shape because it’s been designed in a way that I know they will love.”

By doing this, Watson hopes to cut out all the noise around different types of bat.

“A lot of the time it’s just so confusing and very overwhelming for people, particularly parents to understand the difference between certain products, why some are more expensive, why are they not, which one should I get.”

It is something Watson has been determined to get right, knowing the connection people have with their cricket bats throughout their life.

“That’s the special thing with what I’m doing – the satisfaction that I get when someone has the same connection to a T20 Stars bat that I had to the bat I used as a kid, because it was a big investment for my family. The love and care that I put into my bat went through my whole career – my game bat in particular – was above and beyond, because you have such a connection with your bat. It gives you confidence, it’s everything you want to go out and perform, and I know how much that meant to me growing up. I know the connection that people have with their cricket bat.”

Understanding this, Watson has invested a lot of time in getting the shape of the bat right, so that it can be carried through from the Size 3 bat right through to the top-of-the-range bat.

“From a design point of view, I want to make them as good as they possibly can be across the range, but I also want to simplify that whole process, so people can understand they can get the best quality product in the range they are looking at,” says Watson.

“I’ve just tried to cut out all of the noise and options as it can be overwhelming – whether if you go into a cricket store or if you buy online. A lot of the time it’s just so confusing and very overwhelming for people, particularly parents to understand the difference between certain products, why some are more expensive, why are they not, which one should I get.”

All the T20 Stars products are universally designed, from the entry level all the way up to the top of the range. The fundamentals of each of the product, such as the shape of the bat, are the same. What varies is the material – for example, the quality of the wood varies – from the entry level, which is grade four willow, through to the top of the range which uses grade one willow.

It has been a 12-month process to get the products to exactly to Watson’s satisfaction.

“I’ve been fortunate to have an incredible manufacturer who knows the ins and outs of how to produce the best cricket gear, but I’m so particular with my finer details of all the various features that I want in all my products. So, it went through testing the products out to make sure the features were exactly how I wanted them, the protection was exactly how I wanted it, especially the bats – I wanted to make sure the features and the very meticulous shape that I wanted was the same, every time they made them across all the ranges.”

This has made the process of development a bit slower, particularly with the impact of COVID on shipping and logistics, but for Watson there were no shortcuts in doing whatever was required to be able to make sure that every detail of every product met his specifications.

This consistency is more important when selling the T20 Stars range exclusively online.

Watson says that the decision to sell online was a way of keeping the range more affordable as there’s no retail margin – it’s straight from the manufacturer to the customer.

“It also means that it’s more scalable for everyone, whether you’re in regional Australia or the city, it doesn’t matter – you have the same buying experience,” says Watson. “

While Watson admits it’s not the same experience as buying a bat instore, his pride in the quality of the T20 Stars range has allowed him to offer free returns so as give people the confidence to buy online.

“I’m so particular to make sure that everyone – whether you’re just starting out or if you’re a first-grade cricketer – are getting the best quality products.”

In this regard, Watson has been fortunate that through his connections in cricket he has been able to have one of the leading manufacturers working with him to bring these products to the market.

But right from the start, this has not been something Watson has simply outsourced, but something he has invested his heart and soul into, right from the concept stage through every step of the process – from the design of the products, organising the manufacturing, the logistics, learning everything about setting up a website. It has absorbed him every step of the way.

“First of all, that’s just how I’m built,” says Watson. “If I’m doing something, I want to do it from the ground up – I’m not going to outsource it and simply put my name on it. Along with my wife Lee and a couple of other incredible people who have now come on board and help just put this altogether, it is something I’ve put everything into.

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”