ECB PARTNERSHIPS TO SUPPORT STATE SCHOOL CHILDREN AND ENGAGE ETHNICALLY-DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

New and expanded ECB charity partnerships will provide free cricket to more state school children, open up talent pathways to young people from state schools and ethnically diverse communities, and help young British South Asian cricketers make their professional breakthrough.

An additional £2million injection over the next two and a half years stands to benefit tens of thousands more children and young people as part of efforts to make cricket the country’s most inclusive sport and address barriers highlighted in the recent report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC).

The ECB will officially partner with MCC Foundation, African Caribbean Engagement (ACE) Programme and the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to open up opportunities and talent pathways for state school, Black and British South Asian cricketers. Long-term partners Chance to Shine and Lord’s Taverners will also receive extra funding to deliver cricket to more state schools with high numbers of children on free school meals and for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

State school cricket

Chance to Shine

Working with Chance to Shine, the ECB will now take cricket into more state schools where at least 40% of the student population qualifies for free school meals.

A long-term partnership already funds the delivery of cricket in around 4,000 state schools. Over the last academic year, this was expanded specifically to target an additional 300 schools and 38,000 students who have the greatest chance of missing out on the opportunity to play cricket.

This will now be extended further, offering up to 20,000 more students in another 150 schools the chance to pick up a bat and ball for free as part of the school day.

In Nottinghamshire, Chance to Shine is currently delivered in 80 primary schools across the county, with additional festivals and competitions to complement this delivery.

Lord’s Taverners

An expansion of the ECB’s work with Lord’s Taverners will also see cricket delivered in more schools for students with disabilities or special educational needs.

Last academic year, through increased funding, cricket was delivered in 400 new schools for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, benefitting around 13,000 children. This expansion will see cricket delivered into another 200 schools, reaching another 7,000 students.

Within our county’s boundaries, 18 SEND schools will enjoy Table Cricket and Softball cricket this year, alongside additional festivals.

MCC Foundation

By partnering with the MCC Foundation for the first time, the ECB will enable high quality coaching and match play to thousands more state educated young people, opening up access to talent pathways to youngster who might otherwise miss out.

MCC Foundation will be able to expand its network of hubs, increasing them from 77 at the moment, to around 150 in 2025 with funding from the MCC as well. These will provide free-to-access training and match play to around 2,000 more young people by 2025. Overall, over 5,000 places will be open to state educated young people aged 11-16 across the country by 2025 with up to 45% of these places for girls. There will be at least one Hub in every county, many located in some of the hardest to reach communities.

The Hubs focus on talent, helping promising youngsters who have been engaged through mass participation activities or non-traditional formats to join cricket clubs, develop their hard-ball skills, and access the formal talent pathways. The Hubs also have a transformational impact off the cricket pitch, helping participants to feel happier and more confident, and improving their focus and performance at school, including access to mentors for all participants.

As well as increasing the number of Hubs, MCC Foundation will also be investing in the quality and depth of the programme, providing participants with extensive match play opportunities, an increased winter coaching programme, and national competitions for all ages with finals to be played at Lord's.

Black and South Asian communities

African Caribbean Engagement (ACE) Programme

ACE, which aims to reverse the decline in Black participation in cricket, will become an official Charity Partner for the first time, with a new three-year funding plan to enable its work in six cities and to expand into additional London boroughs. With this the programme aims to engage over 42,000 young people from Black Communities. The funding arrangement will allow ACE to further support African and Caribbean cricket clubs nationally.

Since being established in 2020 by Ebony Rainford-Brent and Surrey County Cricket Club, the programme has supported over 20,000 budding young cricketers, providing elite academy programmes and scholarships as well as grassroots cricket programmes and developing coaches. The ECB previously funded its expansion to Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and additional London boroughs.

In support of our ACE hub in St Ann’s, which launched in February 2023, our ACE Officer is delivering a combination of curriculum-based primary and secondary school activities alongside afterschool clubs to raise awareness of ACE in Nottingham.

South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA)

The ECB will also partner with SACA for the first time to address the disparity between British South Asian participation in recreational and professional cricket. While around 30% of recreational players are estimated to be from British South Asian backgrounds, this falls to around 5% of male professional cricketers coming from South Asian backgrounds.

SACA has been successful in providing a platform for British South Asian male cricketers who had previously missed out on contracts. Through training and matches against Second XI teams, seven have already gone on to sign professional deals, with Jafer Chohan also becoming the first to be signed up for The Hundred.

New funding will now allow this work to be widened, with an expanded player showcase during the summer – with more games for a SACA First XI and regional fixtures providing a second tier of player development – as well as additional investment in winter training. It is expected that introducing regional fixtures could provide opportunities for a further 50 players.

The partnership builds on the work of its co-founder Tom Brown, with the ECB having part-funded his PhD researching the lack of British South Asian players and coaches progressing into the professional game.