Community Sport Coaches in Merseyside

What were our objectives?

The Merseyside Sports Partnership, working with the England and Wales Cricket Board nationally and through Community Sports Coaching, aims to foster long term sports development through cricket for six to nine year olds.

A pilot programme, called FUNdamentals, aims to make cricket accessible.

What did we do?

With funding made available to appoint Community Sport Coaches linked to School Sports Partnerships, three coaches attended residential training in the FUNdamentals programme. One coach was  tasked to link the aims of the programme with existing Community Sports Coach activities such as community volunteering and club accreditation to help support and expand the pilot.

Coaches held a series of master classes for six to nine-year olds, with emphasis on learning skills and reaching tactical and physical objectives. Thirty-two boys and girls from School Sports Partnerships and local cricket clubs are taking part in cricket sessions after school and during holidays.

What were the results?

• The cricket long-term athlete development (LTAD) pilot has added value to the impact of the Community Sports Coach Scheme through the work of John Cole. John over the past six months has delivered to 11 different schools across the Archbishop Beck School Sport Partnership, has coached for an estimated 312 hours and has accessed an estimated 4,166 young people
• Five boys are regularly attending master classes from Bootle Cricket Club and 10 pupils are currently attending from two partnership primary schools
• Additional funding secured via the ECB: £40,000 from Community Club Development Fund and £13,000 for the LTAD pilot

“The club realised that it had to be a priority to access local schools to promote cricket and to highlight our Clubmark status," says Jacquie Westhead, from Bootle Cricket Club. "The pilot programme has cemented our links with local schools and we hope to keep promoting the club in this way in the future.”