Eight-year-old Theo Smith, a pupil at Mayflower Academy in Plymouth, became the seven millionth child to pass through Chance to Shine's programme last week.
Theo enjoyed a session with coaches from Devon Cricket at the school which is a great example of ‘Chance to Shine’ delivery – with 42% of pupils eligible for free school meals.
Chance to Shine marked the occasion by gifting bats, balls and stumps to all of Theo’s class mates, as well as presenting a certificate to the star himself.
“Playing cricket makes me feel happy as it lets you play with your friends. I like playing with my friends as it expresses my feelings and gets rid of stress,” said Theo.
“There was a lovely coach who inspired me to join the club that she told us about. I’m more confident now about batting – when I started playing cricket I used to use a big ball but now I use a smaller ball.”
Chance to Shine's annual impact report outlines how 604,283 young people have played cricket through its programmes in the past 12 months alone.
Via Chance to Shine's new website, it is also able to publish a 'mini site' version of the report for the first time – which you can view here. You can download the PDF here.
The 2022/23 academic year saw Chance to Shine coaches reach 4,357 state primary schools – 42% of which had a higher-than-average proportion of students who were eligible qualifying for free school meals.
The report evidences the vital role Chance to Shine plays in sustaining cricket delivery in state schools; 130,801 hours of teacher training was delivered throughout the year, with 8/10 teachers stating their intention to continue delivering cricket in the curriculum.
At the heart of these programmes is a commitment to improving the wellbeing of young people. In the same period 95% of teachers agreed that Chance to Shine had improved their pupils’ happiness and confidence, whilst 92% of Street cricketers said their communication skills had improved.
Chance to Shine Street clubs provide free, weekly sessions for young people who traditionally struggle to be active – with 92% of them sitting in the most economically deprived areas of England and Wales. In 2022/23, 80% of Street cricketers said they enjoyed taking part in exercise and sport, compared to 40% nationally. This is despite the majority of young people who attend Street clubs having not taken part in any other extra-curricular activity prior to joining.
The number of young women playing Street cricket has trebled since 2018, whilst 78% of Street cricketers are from ethnically diverse groups.
Chance to Shine Chief Executive Laura Cordingley said: “Reaching seven million young people through our programmes is a milestone we are tremendously proud of. As always this year’s impact report celebrates not just our scale, but the lasting effect these programmes have in schools and underserved communities - developing young people in ways that extend far beyond the playground.”