Fresh from announcing a new Strategic Plan last week to ‘Create a Cricket Island’ Cricket Ireland has announced the launch of two brand new national mass participation programmes which will be available in summer 2021 across participating cricket clubs.
The plan focuses on strengthening the foundations of the sport – particularly the grassroots and female cricket – and these are programmes that will provide a play based, fun and safe introduction to cricket for kids.
For parents and guardians looking for a non-contact and engaging summer sport for their kids, they could prove to be a real winner.
‘Smash It’ is aimed at 5 to 9-year-olds and is all about kids being active, making friends and having fun. It is delivered over 6 – 8 sessions by Club Activators who will receive training, resources and programme clothing.
‘It’s Wicket!’ is for girls aged between 9 and 13 who want to be part of an inclusive community, have fun and feel empowered by playing sport.
The programme introduces girls to cricket through skill-based activities and games and encourages girls to own their cricketing experience.
It’s Wicket! is made up of 6 flexible sessions that Clubs can run in a format that best suits with Activator training, resources and gear and full Club Kit provided.
As part of their registration fee, participants on both programmes will receive a gear pack, replicating the idea of sporting summer camps across many different sports.
Investment
Cricket Ireland’s committed investment into sustainably growing the game will provide clubs with everything needed to deliver one or both programmes, including online Coach Education, all the equipment needed to run the programmes and a series of fun session plans.
Provincial Unions will be providing on-the-ground support to clubs and delivering important face-to-face practical Coach Education. Additionally, national marketing will be provided to help recruit the next generation of players, fans and volunteers to clubs. Cricket Ireland’s centralised registration system will ensure an integrated and consistent service across Ireland.
Registrations for participants will open on the 10th of May with participating Clubs rolling out the programme from the start of July.
“We are delighted that we are finally in a position to launch these two programmes to our clubs so that kids across Ireland can enjoy them in 2021,” said Elaine Nolan, Participation Director for Cricket Ireland.
“After a tough year for all involved in sport, it will be great to see kids activity return to the sports fields across the island.”
“Our new Strategic Plan places growth and support for our clubs at the heart of our plan to strengthen our sport and lay down firm foundations for the future. We have all been worried about holding onto our playing membership during the pandemic, so these programmes are designed to build on the great work our clubs already do in engaging proactively with their communities, but also to build the next generation of young cricketers.”
“Cricket is an incredibly engaging and fun team sport for kids, while its non-contact nature makes it ideal for young children to get involved in. These programmes are all about putting a bat and ball in the hands of more children at an earlier age. We want to make playing cricket a fun and enjoyable experience for children and give them a passion for the game to last a lifetime.”
“There are clubs across the country who already cater for this age group but for the first time Cricket Ireland is now in a position to invest in a truly national approach to kids participating in our sport and most importantly support clubs in the areas in matters most. Participating clubs will be able to access free coach education, programme resources and branded equipment to make these a colourful and welcoming experience for kids.”
Another area that we are particularly keen on is the emphasis on bringing more young girls into the game.
“Our strategy also specifically focuses on growing the women’s and girls’ game,” added Nolan. “So while ‘Smash It’ is designed for both boys and girls, we have developed ‘It’s Wicket!’ exclusively for girls. Our research tells us that girls are more likely to play cricket if it’s played either in school, in the community, with people of a similar ability and with their friends.”
“We have designed these programmes based on proven junior sporting programmes not just in Ireland but also across the cricket world to deliver a consistent experience, to be easy to sign up for, to have support at local and national levels and, between both programmes, to offer multi-entry points for girls in the crucial formative years between 5 and 13 years old. Most of all, when we actually move from our online world to be outside playing with friends again, the programmes will be fun.”
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