Dublin Guardians fielding coach John Mooney hopes the inaugural European T20 Premier League can become far more than a four-week tournament, believing it has the potential to leave a lasting legacy for cricket in Dublin, Ireland and across Europe.

John Mooney - pic courtesy of Alex Davidson/Dublin Guardians

The former Ireland international has been encouraged by everything he has seen during the Guardians’ preparations ahead of their opening fixture, with the squad having spent valuable time together in Dublin before travelling to the Netherlands for the first phase of the new six-team competition.

For Mooney, the immediate priority is winning matches, but the bigger picture is equally important. He believes the arrival of a Dublin franchise provides an opportunity to build stronger links with clubs throughout the city and surrounding area, improve facilities and ultimately create something capable of becoming an established part of the Irish cricket landscape.

“We had a great camp,” said Mooney. “We met up as a squad last week and started with training at Clontarf. We had another training day at the High Performance Centre in Abbotstown and then played a match at North County against a Leinster Presidents XI. It was all really, really good and the clubs looked after us beautifully. Clontarf and North County were excellent.”

Those early relationships are something Mooney would like to see develop well beyond the inaugural ETPL campaign.

“I really hope this is the start of something bigger and that the Dublin Guardians become almost the guardians of Dublin cricket,” he said. “You’d love to see the franchise creating links with clubs like North County and Clontarf and hopefully helping to improve the infrastructure around those clubs, whether that’s from a netting point of view, grass wickets or other facilities. It really feels like something good is happening here.”

The ETPL brings together two franchises each from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, with the opening section of the competition staged in the Netherlands before moving to Malahide for its concluding matches. It represents a significant new step for cricket in the three countries, combining established international players with leading domestic cricketers and emerging talent.

Mooney hopes the experience being enjoyed by Dublin is being replicated across the competition.

“I hope all the other teams are having a similar experience, but definitely from the Dublin side we’ve had a great experience so far,” he said. "Our owners, investors and team management have all been really, really good. Everything has been positive and we’re looking forward to the tournament.”

The Guardians have assembled a strong squad for the challenge and Mooney believes there is sufficient quality and variety to compete throughout the competition.

“We have a good team and a good bunch of lads,” he said. “I think we’ve got every base covered with regard to batting, bowling and fielding. Now it’s just a case of putting together some performances on the ground and getting ourselves into a position where we can fight for the play-offs.”

That is where Mooney’s competitive instincts quickly become apparent. As much as he wants the ETPL to succeed as a wider project, Dublin’s ambition is to be involved when the silverware is decided.

“If you can get yourself into the play-offs, then hopefully you win one or two games and you’re the champion,” he said. “That’s the plan and that’s what we’re going for. It might not work out exactly that way, but that’s certainly the aim.”

Mooney knows only too well the impact a successful new competition can have on players coming through the system. The chance for young Irish cricketers to train, play and share dressing rooms with experienced internationals provides an environment that has rarely existed on this scale domestically. Just as importantly, he hopes the franchises can develop identities that supporters and local clubs genuinely connect with. For Dublin, that means becoming more than simply a team bearing the city’s name for a few weeks each summer.

“So far it’s been really good,” added Mooney. “Hopefully this is the start of something that is really going to kick on and be good for years to come.”

That, ultimately, is the challenge facing the ETPL. The Guardians want to win the inaugural title, but Mooney’s ambitions extend considerably further — to a future where Dublin has an established franchise, clubs benefit from the relationships it creates and European cricket has a tournament capable of growing stronger with every season.