Derbyshire Cricket Board - Community Programmes

DERBYSHIRE CRICKET BOARD

Community Programmes

Comic Relief Fun for Gunn

England women’s cricketer Jenny Gunn got more than she bargained for when she agreed to coach the girls at Anthony Gell School when the date coincided with Comic Relief!

When Jenny arrived, the school was already buzzing with fundraising activities & students who had really gone to town dressing up in fancy dress to mark the occasion. Jenny was amazed to see students wearing inflatable sumo suits & horse costumes amongst other things!

Janice Price manager of the school sport partnership based at Anthony Gell said “Jenny really entered into the spirit of the day, tailoring her coaching sessions to make the most of the frivolity. Students enjoyed meeting her and were very enthusiastic, asking lots of questions about her diet & training and her experiences as an international cricketer. It’s not everyday you rub shoulders with an elite sportswoman, but Jenny was really down to earth offering the girls sound advice prior to their Regional final of the Lady Taverners Indoor Cricket tournament.

Sadly the Gell girls who were defending the title, just missed out on a place at Lords for the final this year, finishing runners up to Mount Grace School from Leicestershire.

The comic relief fun helped the team to overcome their disappointment and in total the fun & games helped the school raise an amazing £1200 for Comic Relief. The icing on the cake was when Jenny said” Anthony Gell was the “Friendliest school she’d ever been in”. What more of an endorsement do you need!

Thursday 31st March 2011

DCB support WMCC Winter Practice

Enthusiastic young cricketers from Wirksworth & Middleton Cricket Club have been benefiting from expert coaching at Wirksworth Leisure Centre this winter. Derbyshire Cricket Board's James Colton has been helping the club's own ECB qualified coaches to develop the batting, bowling and fielding skills of groups of girls and boys aged between eight and fifteen.

James has been working with them as part of the DCB's Community Coach Club Support programme, which this year has focused its support on clubs actively promoting women's and girls' cricket and coach education. “I’ve been impressed by the players throughout the winter and it’s been especially good to see so many girls taking to the game”, he enthused.

The club has a thriving youth section with eight teams, from kwik cricketers to under 17s, and achieved national success in 2010 with their girls under 13swinning the Lady Taverners competition. Since last season, in addition to the usual winter training for boys and girls, they’ve also launched a kwik cricket academy for girls.

One of the club's coaches, and current chair of youth cricket at the club, Mike Harwood said, “We were delighted when we discovered that our application for support from the DCB for this winter's programme had been successful. Not only have the players benefited from James' coaching, but as coaches we have used the sessions to pick up pointers and ideas that can really help our coaching effectiveness. It has also been ideal for James Frost-Gilbert who is completing his level 2 coaching qualification.”

Everyone is now looking forward to the start of the season and to being able to practice outdoors, particularly in the club’s new nets. Anyone interested in joining in can contact Mike on 01335 372002 for details.

“Is your club Signed up yet??”

The Main Purpose of the Community Cricket programme is to:

· Provide Support for District Development Groups

· Support clubs through ‘Secondary Stage’ of development planning

· Liaise with local Authorities on Community Schemes, Schools, Competitions, Schools Coaching etc.

· Develop and support more club/ school links

· Provide coaching for clubs and schools

· Help District Development Groups with development of holiday and community programmes

The Benefits of the Community Programme

“Very Positive. It is a real benefit to the club for the youngsters to see a different coach (especially one with good credentials) and it strengthens links with local schools”. Swarkestone CC

“It has helped our clubmark progress, particularly our session plans” Eckington CC

Members of Eckington CC receiving their Clubmark accreditation from Mick Glenn, Club Cricket Development Manager, Derbyshire Cricket Board.

If Your club would like to be involved in this years programme, please contact Greig Wright on 01332 388112 or Email: greig.wright@dcbcricket.com

Club/ School Links

A Key aspect of the community programme is the establishment of effective links between schools and clubs within a community. These links are preferably natural ones, where there already is an affinity of affiliation between the schools in an area and the local cricket club, or if none exists then a link is identified and fostered by the DCB in the best interests of those involved.

A cricket school club link gives young people the opportunity to participate in cricket activities beyond the school day and in cricket throughout their lives.

‘Cricket clubs need to recognise the work that goes on in sport in schools, and not just wait for a child to leave school and expect them to come and join up. There are so many activities for young people these days. Cricket can’t sit back and say “they will come to us, you’ve got to go out and get them’. (Kate Hoey, UK minister for sport in ‘The Cricketer’, October 2000, p17)

Why should we make them?

Most communities do not know which clubs are in their area. Personal contact is the best way to promote your club.

Youngsters are more likely to get involved if they know what they’re dealing with, if they have already seen club coaches in the familiar surroundings of their school they are more likely to attend the club.

What are the benefits of making a Club/School Link?

Creating partnerships between schools and clubs helps create continuity between school sports and sports in the wider community.

Creating club and school links can create the following benefits:

Club

	More young people in the club
	Increased participation in the club
	Raised base level participation in club
	Opportunity to identify talent of the future
	Potential to access school facilities and equipment
	Raised profile within the sport
	Raised profile within community
	Financial opportunities
	Opening up club access to the wider community
	· Increase the potential to recruit new volunteers
	· Co-operation, support and resources from other partners
	· Creating a pool of young leaders, coaches and officials of the future

School

	More active and ultimately healthier pupils
	Raised profile within the community
	Increased funding opportunities
	Community links and social benefits
	Pathways for sport and easy exit routes for children into ongoing involvement
	Increased standard in school teams due to increased coaching received by pupils.
	Recognition as an institution that supports development beyond the school environment (value added)
	Support and assistance with extra curricular teams and activities

Young People

	Improved opportunities to access sport in their local community
	Opportunity for their talent to be identified and nurtured
	Wider range of sporting opportunities
	Move confidently between school and club opportunities to develop coaching and leadership skills
	Understand how their experiences in school and at the club complement each other
	Recognise how PE prepares them for their involvement in clubs at junior age and beyond
	Introduction to healthy living
	Feel comfortable with a range of people from different backgrounds and of different ages
	Choose club programmes that are suited to them
	How can club/ school links work?

Club

	Provide the school with information and promotional material about the club.
	Assign a liaison contact to liaise with and provide information to the schools
	Run a festival or display at the school
	Run a club open day or fun day at the school
	Provide coaches to assist with the extra curricular clubs
	Run a satellite club on the school site during a term where the club goes to the school
	Tell the schools about their pupils’ achievements
	Advise the school of relevant events and activities that might attract youngsters to their club
	Provide officials for some school fixtures or tournaments
	Make school visits
	Provide the school with letters of support for funding applications

School

	Promote the club within the school
	Provide facilities by offering the school site for the club to run sessions
	Nominate a club liaison representative who is identified to liaise with the clubs schools liaison officer
	Offer the same sport as an after school club in order to introduce the children to the sport in a familiar surrounding
	Distribute any promotional material that the clubs may have
	Invite club coaches to speak about their club in school assemblies and PTA meetings
	Dedicated notice board or other point of notice to the sports club
	Provide advice to pupils about getting involved
	Provide the club with letters of support for funding applications
	Regularly communicate local club opportunities and information to parents

For more information contact Greig Wright on 01332 388112 or email greig.wright@dcbcricket.com