27th July 2015
| Mallory Gray
7 NEW POP UP CRICKET CLUBS ROLL OUT ACROSS CARDIFF THIS WEEK
A new initiative
designed to engage more young people from BME communities in cricket will
launch this week.
The Cricket Beyond Boundaries project will offer 7 pop-up
cricket clubs across Cardiff,
targeting areas not usually associated with mainstream cricket clubs.
This novel initiative, which will
be targeting areas of Cardiff
not generally associated with organised cricket clubs, is part of the
Calls4Action programme launched by Sport Wales to help tackle inequality by
using sport to breakdown cultural and economic barriers between communities.
Sarah Powell, Chief Executive of
Sport Wales - the organisation who is overseeing the
Calls4Action funding
distribution and progress, is confident of the project's success despite
recognising the uphill struggle they're facing.
Ms Powell said: "We do not accept that any barrier is
insurmountable when it comes to providing high quality sporting opportunities
to our communities, although we recognise for some it will take time and a focused
commitment to overcome them."
The project is coordinated by
Cricket Wales in partnership with Glamorgan Cricket and a variety of delivery
partners including Welsh Asians, Grangetown Allstars and Cardiff Gymkhana
Cricket Clubs plus Cardiff Youth Service, YMCA Plasnewydd, Oasis Cardiff and
Sport Cardiff.
Support for the project was made
available via a £70,000 grant from the
Sport Wales Calls4Action fund which is
targeted at reducing inequalities in sport and aiming to create a cricket
network with more professional opportunities for people in BME communities;
communities known for a very strong, yet non-professional relationship with the
game.
Ali Abdi, who has masterminded
much of this project with the help of Cricket Wales' development manager Gavin
Hawkey, said that he hopes the project can "offer more opportunities to a
community that is already very committed to the sport and that the young people
involved from playing to coaching get to the highest levels they aspire
too".
To ensure the clubs are organised
and equipped sufficiently, they have received cooperation from Oasis Centre for
asylum seekers and refugees, YMCA Plasnewydd and local cricket clubs Grangetown
All Stars, Welsh Asians and Cardiff Gymkhana who will host clubs in the
Grangetown, Riverside, Splott, Butetown, Roath,
Plasnewydd and St Mellons areas of Cardiff.
In the spirit of breaking down
barriers faced by BME communities, Cricket Wales have scheduled the launch of
the pop up clubs to take place after Ramadan, hoping to increase participation
of children from Muslim families and ensured the times didn’t clash with
children who attend Mosque during the holidays.
Not only will this be a fun
introduction to cricket and provide equipment for communities where children
have not previously had access, but if successfully maintained, should provide
improved scouting opportunities for the more talented children.
This programme serves as
a reminder of how sport has the potential to reach the doorstep of every child
in the country, and thanks to the tireless work of Gavin Hawkey and Ali Abdi,
there are a few less doorsteps without it.
Mark Frost, Glamorgan Cricket Community
Coordinator also states,
"Glamorgan Cricket is really excited by
this project and with so many of these communities being on the doorstep
of the SSE Swalec Stadium, we hope it will introduce so many more young
people to cricket and to the experience of watching high class cricket
as well."
Sarah Powell, Chief
Executive of Sport Wales, the organisation overseeing the
Calls4Action funding distribution and progress, is confident of the
project's success commented
, “We
have focused investment into sport for under-represented groups because
everyone should be able to enjoy the benefits of sport. Everyone
who provides sport needs to be smart and innovative if we are going to
appeal to more people and get playing regularly.”
