By Brian Halford, ECB Reporters Network
A project created to welcome Afghan refugees into the Bristol community through cricket is about to expand having delivered “positive growth far beyond the areas expected”.
Last year the refugees were offered weekly cricket coaching by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in partnership with City of Bristol College which has a campus neighbouring the county’s Seat Unique Stadium.
That campus is attended by the college’s English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, many of whom are young Afghan boys and men.
The refugees, some of whom arrived in the UK with little more than the clothes they were wearing, faced all the challenges and difficulties of displacement, but one thread of ground common to England and Afghanistan is a love of cricket.
That proved a bridge across which connections could be built.
Each Wednesday afternoon from January to May, between 12 to 25 Afghan boys and men gathered at Gloucestershire’s high-performance indoor cricket centre for two hours of cricket.
The project provided the refugees with a safe and welcoming space but the benefit has proved very much two-way as Gloucestershire’s coaches and first-team players found the sessions deeply fulfilling.
“The project has been a privilege to be part of,” said Gloucestershire’s Head of Community, Pete Lamb. “This was bigger than cricket.
“It’s hard to imagine what it’s like for these guys, resettled to a new city and a country you’ve never been to before, away from everything that is familiar. Initially there were language barriers and cultural barriers, but we worked through them and supplied something they could be part of.
“We spoke about ownership and respect and teamwork and they built a team in every sense of the word. There are some seriously good cricketers among them but while it was good to see their cricket improve every Wednesday evening, we were looking more for them to take responsibility for packing the bag at the end of a session. That was far more important than where and how quick they were bowling.
“In the last couple of sessions, the coaches handed over the talks at the start and end to the youngsters and they took it on and spoke with real passion about how much of a release the sessions gave them. But the project has had positive growth far beyond the areas expected.
“At the start of the year I said to our men’s first team captain, Graeme can Buuren: ‘I need your help. I’m going to need a couple of players for two hours a week’.
“They responded brilliantly. Eight or nine got involved and really committed to it. In week two, one came to me and said: ‘I know I’ve done my two sessions but can I come back next week? I think I need this – it has given me a real sense of perspective.
“He came to 12 of the 18 sessions.”
To build on that success, the club and college extended their partnership by offering further cricket sessions and also academic lessons at the Seat Unique Stadium.
The sessions started in November with two sessions - one for the Afghans who attended last year and one for those new to the college.
“It’s really exciting that we are going to do more,” said Pete Lamb.
“The plan is for those from last year to now get on ECB Activators courses and become trained to do some coaching themselves, so within the next two or three years we can give the City of Bristol College their own students fully qualified and ready to deliver cricket sessions.”
As part of the sessions three classes of students have gone over to the ground each week.
They have enjoyed a carousel of activities including introduction to cricket sessions and fitness and wellbeing sessions as well as English and maths sessions to help them get used to living in the UK.
Kirsty Cross, Designated Lead for Children in Care and Care Leavers at the City of Bristol College, said: “The noticeable excitement and enthusiasm on the students’ faces when they know its cricket day was a joy to see. They have become a team, both supportive and caring of each other and this camaraderie has extended into the college.”