Almost 11,000 children in Surrey & South London received regular coaching through the Surrey Cricket Foundation last year according to the organisation’s 2021 Impact Report.
10,926 kids benefitted from the range of junior programmes, some of which the Foundation ran in co-operation with the ECB and other bodies while 1,250 teams entered the Surrey Junior Cricket Championship, believed to be the largest league structure in cricket.
The report also shows a 34% increase in the overall number of matches at all levels played in the county in 2021, rising from 11,176 in 2019 to 14,988 last year. 91% of those players that were surveyed planned to play as much or more cricket in 2022.
The Foundation also helps to create the infrastructure to allow the game to be played, including running and funding coaching and umpiring courses in partnership with the ECB. In 2021, this yielded 129 support coaches, 200 Foundation One coaches and 126 newly qualified umpires.
Accessibility to the game is a crucial area of work for the Foundation, highlighted by the success of the Surrey Pan-Disability side who were crowned National Champions. Approximately 1000 disabled children were reached through a range of programmes including work with more than 30 special needs schools and nine Disability Champion cricket clubs.
More than 3000 women & girls played cricket at a club level in one of the 94 women & girls sections at clubs throughout the county. This is one of the fastest growing areas in the game and will be a key focus for development in 2022.
2021 also saw Surrey Cricket Foundation selected as England’s Street Child United World Cup partner, meaning underprivileged children in the region will have the chance to travel India in 2023 and represent England in a tournament that runs alongside the men’s 50 over Cricket World Cup.
794 children benefitted from free All Stars & Dynamos places while more than 100 children living locally to The Kia Oval enjoyed a week of free activities during the summer holidays thanks to the Vauxhall Loop.
The Foundation was also successful twice at the annual Chance to Shine Awards. For more on those victories, click here.
For 2022, the Foundation has drafted 11 key ambitions. These are:
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- Develop, launch and deliver an Equality, Diversity and Action plan for Surrey
- Launch Street Child United programme
- Embed the Vauxhall Loop programme across 14 days of delivery throughout the year
- Deliver an expanded programme of personal development initiatives linked to street and disability work
- Expand Women & Girl’s offering through women’s softball programme, dedicated workforce support and a girls development programme alongside the Surrey County Cricket Club pathways department
- Grow and improve national programmes to reach 3,750 kids, including 28% girls and dedicated VI programmes
- Begin delivery of the Workforce plan including launching the young leaders in cricket programme, improve national programme activator support and expanded coach and teacher training programmes
- Support 50 clubs to grow through tailored development support, including delivery of the county grants fund
- Finalise, launch and embed the Facilities Strategy
- Raise the profile, following and database of the Foundation
- Launch a vastly expanded fundraising and events programme
