Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2020

28 twitter: @scloverssociety In January 2019 the ECB announced its blueprint for the future. Inspiring Generations is a five-year, £500-million strategic plan designed to increase the number of people playing and watching domestic cricket at all levels. Gordon will play a key role in implementing the six core strategies. The first, ‘Grow and Nurture the Core’ , will see investment in the heart of the game as we know it – recreational cricket clubs, First-class and Minor Counties. Facilities at all First-class and Minor County cricket grounds will be improved with funding also available for refurbishment initiatives at the local level, including club pavilions. Minor Counties cricket will be restructured, with the 20 teams playing three-day, one-day and T20 games; collectively they will become known as the National Counties. online cricket experience for players and fans, in recognition of the importance of social media to young people; lastly, by launching The Hundred competition, which Gordon described as a ‘five-week marketing campaign for cricket’. The ECB aims to double cricket participation in primary schools through substantial investment in equipment through ‘Engage Children and Young People’ , building on the success of its All Stars Cricket initiative for 5-8 year olds. With participation increasing after England’s success in the 2017 World Cup Final, the ECB will invest in all levels of the women’s and girls’ game in its fifth strategy, ‘Transform Women’s and Girls’ Cricket’ . Funding will be directed towards County Age Group cricket to give more ‘Inspire through Elite Teams’ aims to incentivise the identification of young talented cricketers and reward counties for playing more England qualified players in domestic competitions. England’s stars in all forms of the game – Men’s, Women’s and Disability – will be given the best possible platform to develop their talent and engage with a new generation of fans. ‘Make Cricket Accessible’ is designed to encourage a broader cross-section of people to engage with cricket in a variety of ways: by the installation of non-turf pitches and the opening of indoor cricket centres in urban environments; by an on-going commitment to the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan, launched in 2018; third, by delivering an talented girls the opportunity to develop into elite cricketers; the development of additional centres of excellence for women’s and girls’ cricket; and the refurbishment of recreational club houses to cater for the needs of both men and women. ECB research indicates that girls take longer than boys to decide on their chosen sport, and so investment in girls’ cricket will be made at secondary school level rather than at the primary stage. ‘Support our Communities’ will seek to increase participation in recreational disability cricket; recruit more umpires, scorers and community coaches; and double the number of volunteers in the game. at the crease SPEAKERS 2018-19 BY ROGER ALLUM 4 February 2019 Gordon Hollins ECB, MD of County Cricket for upping our game Masterplan Gordon Hollins