Power Of Cricket Shines Through

15 Nov 2017 11:49 AM

Young people in England’s most deprived areas to benefit from our £3 million investment in Chance to Shine.

Thanks to our National Lottery investment, the cricket charity Chance to Shine will add a further 60 projects to its existing Street programme – totalling 200 projects and leagues. It’s expected to reach at least 6,000 children and young adults each year over a three-year period.

Chance to Shine Street uses the fast-paced, simple tape-ball cricket format to attract young people who are hard to reach through the traditional format. Eight out of 10 Street participants are not members of cricket clubs. Nearly a third of participants (29%) live in the 10% most deprived areas of England (by IMD ranking) and more than half in the 20% most deprived areas.

Around two-thirds of participants are from South Asian backgrounds and Chance to Shine Street will be closely connected to England & Wales Cricket Board’s plan to make cricket more accessible to South Asian communities. 

Chance to Shine will need to raise a further £500,000 each year privately to deliver the new programme. In addition to expanding the number of existing Street projects through ECB’s network of county cricket boards and new partners, the funds will allow Chance to Shine to focus on: 

• Providing specialist training for Street coaches to help them develop knowledge and skills such as dealing with difficult behaviour, inclusion and community cohesion 
• Running regional and national competitions for youth and young adult age groups
• Setting up 60 Street satellite clubs to deliver taster tape-ball sessions in partnership with local community organisations, clustered around current Street projects 
• Developing participants into young leaders and coaches 
• Running a series of educational workshops at community Street cricket sessions, covering areas such as resilience, gun and knife crime and internet safety.

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