Change of structure for Wiltshire Cricket Limited – company aligns its development team
to new local and national priorities
The first half of 2016 saw the release of ECB’s new strategy; Cricket Unleashed
(www.cricketunleashed.com). Cricket Unleashed is the first strategy from ECB that has
attempted to unify the game, from recreational cricket through to the professional game. It
is based around the premise that if we can grow the number of people playing the game at
a grassroots level, and from an earlier age, those players will be more likely to follow the
game and in turn attend matches. Additionally, the younger we can engage children in
cricket, the more likely they will be to develop a lifelong affinity with the game, and the
stronger the playing base of our game will become.
The following statistics back up the importance of the professional game investing in the
grassroots:
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735
What these images support is the notion that cricket’s fan base predominantly comes from people
who are in the game and playing at a recreational level. The chance of attracting somebody in to a
county or international fixture from a non-cricketing background is far reduced; a fact that highlights
why participation and recreational cricket is so important to the health and sustainability of cricket
at all levels of the game.
As a result, a major strand of ECB’s new strategy is ‘More Play’ which represents a huge focus on
investing in growing the game at a recreational level. The importance of this is not only based
around the benefits that growing the game can have on higher levels of the game but is also based
around the need for ECB to address the falling participation figures that cricket is facing. For
example, we know that currently:
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Only 2% of children, aged 7-15 rate cricket as their top sport
Only 7% of children have cricket as one of their top two sports
When asked to name up to 10 different sports, 3 out of 5 children do not name cricket
These statistics are alarming in the context of the long term sustainability of cricket. However, the
positive we do know is that if we expose cricket to children, they generally enjoy it. Chance to Shine
recently conducted a survey of year 6 children, with results showing that coaching in schools can
deliver a 60% increase in children’s intent to join a local cricket club. Their research shows that of
children who are exposed to cricket in schools, 58% like the game, compared to 1% of children who
don’t play cricket at schools.
The power of insight that cricket now has means that a focus on participation is very much on the
agenda of ECB. At a local level, Wiltshire Cricket believes this represents an exciting time for the
game as we expect to receive investment to support us putting more bats and balls in to more
people’s hands. We have an opportunity to address some of the challenges that cricket faces and it
is important that we create structures locally that enable us to implement some of the initiatives
that will help to increase participation at a recreational level. Specifically, the ‘More Play’ aspect of
ECB’s strategy identifies a need to focus on four strands of recreational cricket:
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Clubs and leagues
Children
Community offers
Casual cricket
One important group to highlight from the above list is children. I have already highlighted the
statistics around the numbers of current players and cricket fans who started their association with
cricket from a young age. Additionally, we know from the responses of young children that there is a
huge amount of competition for cricket to try and better. The amount of choice that young people
face in terms of leisure, sport and digital opportunities is incredible, therefore cricket needs to be as
relevant and attractive to both parents and children from as young an age as possible. With that in
mind, it is appropriate to introduce All Stars Cricket, ECB’s new entry level programme for 5 to 8 year
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735
olds. All Stars Cricket is set to change the face of junior cricket from 2017 onwards and will hopefully
safeguard the long term future of the game.
We currently know that there is a huge drop off in participation from children at around the age of
15. This will be for a huge number of reasons and ECB has already tried to address that drop off by
introducing the ECB under 19 T20 competition in 2014. This competition has created an opportunity
for players to play with their peers for longer and has smoothened the transition into adult cricket
for many who may have been put off doing so at the age of 15. However, as successful as the under
19 competition has been, there will always be a natural drop off towards the end of secondary
school education.
Through All Stars Cricket, the ECB will be offering an opportunity for both parents and children to
engage with the game from the age of 5 years old, meaning that by the age of 15 the chances of
players having developed a lifelong love for the game will be far enhanced. In addition to this, All
Stars Cricket will offer a skills based programme for clubs to run which will focus heavily around
personal bests for every child involved and the opportunity for parents to join in for an hour of fun
filled activity with their children. Cricket currently has an image problem to non-cricketing families.
By some it will be perceived as elitist, and by others it will not be seen as an option because of the
association to dangerous hard balls and helmets. Through All Stars Cricket, the ECB will attempt to
change that perception in to a sport that is fun, skills based and that provides a pathway for children
to develop at all different speeds.
Some of the unique selling points to All Stars Cricket will be a link to the England team through
ambassadorial support and the presence of All Stars Cricket at national and local matches, a bespoke
coaching programme developed by the England Performance team, trained Activators leading
sessions, personalised packs for children who register for an All Stars club and a curriculum that hits
9 out of the 10 fundamental movement skills. To support the promotion of All Stars Cricket, ECB has
doubled its investment in to Chance to Shine from September 2017 meaning at a local level we will
be able to deliver a huge amount in primary schools to promote awareness of cricket and to help
change its perception.
All in all there are exciting times ahead for cricket. Over the past few years Wiltshire Cricket has
invested a lot of time in to adult cricket, through supporting leagues to listen to player insight as a
result of the national players survey. Our work in this area will continue but we now have an
opportunity to focus on the very entry level point of the game.
Whilst it will always be important to look to the future, I am also a great believer in celebrating what
is being achieved in the here and now. A big part of our job as people in the privileged position of
being employed in cricket is to constantly listen to the challenges of participation figures. However,
in Wiltshire there are many positive stories, including:
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2016 saw an increase in affiliated clubs, from 88 to 91
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735
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2017 will see a 30% increase in fixtures in the Wiltshire Youth League, and a 20% increase in
the number of junior teams
So, whilst I know many cricket clubs will be facing difficulties around player and volunteer
recruitment, Wiltshire Cricket as a whole should be commended for bucking the trend across many
areas.
At this point I would just like to celebrate the achievements of the Board and my team of
development staff from 2016. At the start of the year, we identified improvement actions across the
areas of player retention, disability cricket and board governance as up until 2016 these have been
our ECB funded areas. Across those work areas we managed to achieve:
Player retention:
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Worked with priority leagues on the Get the Game On campaign
Offered and conducted visits to all Wiltshire League clubs to promote player insight and to
produce a report for clubs to consider at the league’s AGM, resulting in many rule changes
and additions
Delivered a girls and womens leagues for the first time through association with the
Southern Vipers Kia Super League team
Increased the ECB Under 19 T20 competition and Wiltshire Wallop competition
Disability cricket:
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Delivered SEN coaching programmes to primary and secondary schools, reaching 297
participants
Delivered community based taster sessions
Launched our inaugural county softball team
Governance
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Undertaken a kit tendering process, resulting in the award to Gray-Nicolls as the county’s
official clothing supplier
Launched new company values
Restructured Wiltshire Cricket’s development team
Our Action Plan only recognises Improvement Actions and it is these actions are highlighted above.
However, in the background all of our other core work has continued. In 2015-2016 this has
included:
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Conducting club support visits
Administering ECB Clubmark
Natwest Cricketforce
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735
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Providing Facility Guidance
Working with Local Authorities regarding their Playing Pitch strategies
Delivering reward and Recognition events, such as our OSCAs
Regular meetings with all leagues, senior and junior, to support their core work and to
review their offers
Introduction and support of new competitions, e.g. Wallop, U19, shorter format Cricket
Delivery of a holiday camp programme in Easter and summer
Girls and womens cricket participation programmes
Chance to Shine primary and secondary delivery. In 2015-2016, 42 primary schools and 17
secondary schools involved
Management of all primary and secondary school competitions, including Kwik Cricket,
Chance to Compete and all ESCA competitions
Administration and delivery of all Workforce Education courses, including coach, umpire,
scorer, welfare courses
Management and delivery of winter coaching programme and summer performance
programme
Delivery of an Emerging Players Programme
Support for groundsmanship and attendance of meetings with WCGA
Support for officials development and attendance of meetings with WACO
Management of website and social media
Work with partners including Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council and WASP to
deliver joint initiatives
In delivering all of the above work programmes, I would just like to extend a huge thank you to my
Board of Directors, to the many volunteers I work with and to Ali Goddard, Josh Boulton and Karen
Smith who I work alongside in the Development Office.
Additionally, I would like to place on record my thanks and best wishes to Alan Crouch who in
September 2016 retired from his position as Wiltshire’s Head of Performance, after nine years in the
role but a much longer association in many other guises. Alan leaves behind a tremendous legacy of
players that he has supported through to higher levels of the game, but most importantly I’d like to
thank Alan for all of the commitment he showed to Wiltshire Cricket throughout his career and for
the passion he always retained for developing young cricketers.
Alan’s departure in January did trigger a review of the way in which the Board manages performance
cricket. Previously Alan had delivered our Emerging Players Programme, an elite programme for 1315 year old players, and had coached and led the county’s Academy team. Instead of replacing
Alan’s Head of Performance position, we have instead set up formalised partnerships with
Gloucestershire and Hampshire Cricket to co-deliver our Emerging Players Programme, a move that
we hope will provide multiple benefits to our players but also our up and coming coaches, who will
able to learn from coaches from both First Class counties.
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735
Additionally, the old Academy side has been replaced by a new Wiltshire 2nd XI which is being jointly
run by Wiltshire CCC and the Board. This is an exciting new venture which hopefully reflects a closer
working relationship between the Board and Club and that provides a clearer player pathway
through from age group cricket in to the full county side.
In addition to reviewing the way in which performance cricket is managed, we have also reviewed
the roles of our professional officers, in order to align ourselves to national priorities through ECB
and Chance to Shine, but also in order to provide complete role clarity for all members of our
development team, a move that we hope will give greater job satisfaction for our team but will also
provide a structure that is clearer for our clubs, partners and associations to understand. Our new
roles are:
Peter Sykes – Managing Director
Ali Goddard – Head of Junior Cricket
Sam Dent – Head of Growth
Josh Boulton – Community Coach / All Stars Cricket Champion
Karen Smith – Cricket Administrator
Finally, please let me wish everyone all the very best for a fantastic 2017 season!
Wiltshire Cricket Limited, Development Office, Suite 16-17, Lansdowne Business Centre,
Bumpers Way, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6RZ
Telephone: 01249 445225 Website: www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk
Company No: 7338735