Cricket clubs up and down the country are largely run by increasingly hard-pressed volunteers. Reading numerous articles, it is clear to me that few have any belief in the game’s governing body, the English Cricket Board (ECB).
At the end of another long season, I wrote (25/9) to the Chairman of the ECB, not for the first time. As a stakeholder in the game and one who has worked with kids for decades, I felt I deserved a hearing.
Having finally received a response I feel like I have had my head patted and been sent to the quiet corner – you can judge below. What infuriates me above all else is the ECB’s obsession about throwing millions at one section of society as if this will magically cure cricket’s problems. It will not.
Spot the patronising twaddle below justifying this as connecting with South Asian communities. We do that already through our hard run cricket clubs and long established friendships forged on the cricket field as human beings.
Imagine if the ECB launched a strategy focused on white working class kids?
As I have said before – back in 2014 – all they will do is widen divisions by creating a “them and us” mindset.
Rarely have I been more despondent about the future of the game governed as it is now by the PC driven, money obsessed marketeers.
Dear Colin
Almost as soon as the World Cup was lifted, politicians were jumping on the bandwagon, most notably with aspirations of getting cricket back in state schools. You will know that this is as realistic as offering chauffeur driven trolleys at Costcutter for schools have far more pressing issues than the survival of grassroots cricket, even if they had the financial and sporting resources available.
However, you are about to receive a monsoon of Sky money during the next five years; will you squander this on the same old PC driven pet projects or be receptive to new ideas? Working in my free time with a few primary schools in Bradford, it is clear that the skill sets and sporting cultures within our state schools are simply not there.
The only way you could hope, in my opinion, to raise cricket’s profile is through effective club-school partnerships. Currently, whilst clubs like ours work hard at establishing these, we can only do so much; we need help.
The biggest single issue for most schools is the transportation of kids; so here’s something a bit different? Why not consider a grant scheme for local schools to pay for coach travel to local grounds in school time. Of course it would depend on a club having coaches available but twinning this with, for instance, YCB coaches, should not be impossible.
These could even be multi-sport afternoons and, even if the rains came, we could think fast and provide something different from the classroom. Allowing kids to discover and experience a local club is often as powerful as anything we can offer; directing parents to grounds to collect them would also enhance the experience.
It will be loose change compared with what you are blowing on the utterly ridiculous Hundred, something I have yet to see one positive comment on.
Just a thought from the basement!
Dear Steve
Thank you for your email to Colin Graves who read this with interest and has asked me to respond on his behalf.
We’re aware of all the hard work that clubs like yours do to get more kids into cricket and would like to take the opportunity to thank you for everything you do for the game in your community.
ECB agree that there needs to be a strong link between schools and clubs. As part of Inspiring Generations, our new strategy to grow the game over the next five years, we will be working to strengthen those links, as you suggest.
The ECB has worked for many years alongside Chance To Shine, a charity that has done wonderful work introducing schoolchildren to the delights of cricket. That partnership will continue as the ECB works with Chance To Shine to double the number of children playing cricket at primary school.
At the same time, we’ll work with local clubs so that there is a direct link between child, parent, teacher and club to encourage even greater engagement with cricket.
This will all form part of our Schools Strategy, launching next year, which will expand and develop the commitments made in Inspiring Generations. This strategy will cover primary and secondary schools in the state and independent sectors, building on our strong ongoing relationship with Chance to Shine and working with County Cricket Boards to ensure the success of this investment. This will include a greater focus on transitioning children from primary school to club cricket.
It may also interest you to know that Bradford is one of the 10 ‘Core Cities’ identified in conjunction with Sport England where cricket can have the biggest impact in connecting with South Asian communities.
That’s why Bradford will be the second location for a new urban cricket centre as part of the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan. We will also continue the development of Bradford Park Avenue and significantly expand the availability of non-turf pitches in the city.
Thank you again for getting in touch – we appreciate you taking the time to write to us and we will share your feedback with the relevant teams.
Kind regards
Juliet Davidson
PA to the Chairman
England and Wales Cricket Board
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