ECB Coaches Association links Inspiring Generations | Page 18

MAKE CRICKET ACCESSIBLE
MAKE CRICKET
ACCESSIBLE
We will give more people the opportunity
to engage with cricket more often
Cricket is a sport with a significant presence in England and Wales, with over 10m followers and 2.5m players, and the
game is fortunate to have a loyal fanbase who watch all forms of cricket. These fans tend to be older than the global
average, and are more likely to be an affluent white male than they are to represent any other demographic group.
We want to broaden this loyal base to make cricket more representative of our modern and diverse society. We want to
encourage a broader cross-section of our population to discover and share their passion for cricket by making playing
and following the game more accessible, so that more people are inspired to say that ‘cricket is a game for me’.
3 %
“
of Test match tickets sold
are junior tickets
(average attendee age = 47)
Digital Connections
80% of 12-15 year olds own a
smartphone, and over 55s are the
fastest adopters of smartphones
Cricket is more
relevant than ever in
today’s society. We
need to make sure it’s
accessible, sustainable
and supporting hard-to-
reach communities.
We will:
Broaden cricket’s appeal through the
New Competition
Arfan Akram
Director, East London
Cricket Limited
Born and raised in East London, Arfan knows all about the importance of providing
cricketing facilities in urban areas. He has worked with Essex Cricket in the local
community to install non-traditional playing facilities across East London that have
benefitted thousands of recreational players.
18.
30 %
4 %
of cricket’s recreational player
base is South Asian
of professional cricketers
are South Asian
This means:
The New Competition, with games broadcast on Sky
and the BBC, will create a new gateway into cricket
(see pages 28-31 for more detail)
Building a new digital community will optimise
the online cricket experience for players and fans,
and bring it together in one place
Install non-traditional playing facilities
in urban areas The installation of non-turf pitches and urban cricket
centres will give more people living in urban areas
the opportunity to play cricket
Launch a new participation product, linked to the
New Competition
I N S P I R I N G G E N E R AT I O N S
will live in towns and cities. Currently just
10% of cricket clubs are located in high
population density areas.
Create a new digital community for cricket
Continue to deliver the South Asian Action Plan
Arfan is the development lead on the first pilot urban cricket centre in Leyton, a purpose-
built site that will create an indoor cricket hub at the heart of the local community.
By 2030 it is projected that 88% of us
An ongoing commitment to the plan launched in 2018
(see ECB South Asian Action Plan document for full details)
More people will be given the opportunity to play
cricket through a new participation product that will
provide a gateway to becoming a regular cricketer
1 9.