Following the latest cricket participation statistics being revealed today from across England and Wales, ECB Director of Participation, Nick Pryde, shares his thoughts on what has been a bumper season for getting more people involved and playing the game.
“Although the summer isn’t yet over, with plenty more fixtures to play, it has already been a notable one. After two years of restrictions, we’ve finally been able to get back to some normality and the cricket family has returned in record numbers.
“We’re proud to see that more than 100,000 kids have taken part in our National Programmes (All Stars and Dynamos) this year and that adult recreational cricket has also seen (so far) 10,000 more fixtures played than ever before – higher even than in 2019, the World Cup Winning year.
“By launching a new competition (The Hundred) and a new participation programme (Dynamos) in 2021, we were hoping to generate fresh excitement throughout the game but the numbers we’re seeing are even stronger than we thought they might be.
“Both The Hundred and Dynamos have helped to make the game more accessible than it has been before, and in time they will provide a gateway for people of all ages to get into established cricketing formats.
“The excitement for picking up a bat and ball has created more diversity in the game than we’ve seen before too. We’re reaching new communities through our strategic programmes, particularly those living in urban areas. We’ve created 160 hubs in cities across the country, which have worked with over 20,000 young people this summer, and 10,000 more children have attended cricketing school breakfast clubs set up by the ECB.
“Our partnership with Sky on Dynamos Cricket Intros has seen 10,000 kids have free access to cricket in 2021 and the number of children taking part in All Stars and Dynamos from the 20% most deprived areas of the country has doubled this year.
“As we look to continue encouraging people from all backgrounds to get involved and create role models for kids that play, 1,000 South Asian women have been trained to deliver All Stars and Dynamos sessions across the country, which is a huge achievement and step forward.
“Finally we can’t ignore the progress made in women’s cricket this year. At grassroots level we’ve seen 27,000 girls of the 100,000 kids playing cricket, and after a successful Women’s Big Cricket Month, we have over 900 clubs with a dedicated women and girl’s section, which we are aiming to get over the 1,000 mark by the end of the year.
“This, coupled with record attendances at women’s domestic fixtures during The Hundred, has helped to raise the profile of the women’s game in England and Wales creating more opportunities and role models to inspire generations to come.
“We couldn’t have reached all of these record numbers without the volunteers that help us run these sessions and the support of the whole cricketing network, from village clubs through to the support of our fantastic counties, from our charitable partners through to our commercial partners, and our fantastic broadcasters – it has been a team effort to get cricket back.
“We know that our work in this area is far from over but we’re taking big steps forward to show that cricket is a game for everyone.
“With so much cricket still to come, from domestic finals, to England Men’s and Women’s international series, there is still so much to look forward to, and I hope we can build on this great start to help push the sport even further forward throughout the rest of this year – and inspire even more children and adults to pick up a bat and ball."