Whilst the landscape for traditional cricketing establishments takes shape under the most testing of times, with the dark clouds of COVID-19 hanging over. It is imperative to point out that it has also had a hugely detrimental and potentially even longer-lasting effect on the South Asian Parks Cricketing Community (SAPCC) up and down the Country. The problems at hand are two-fold; firstly in terms of very real and meaningful engagement with the next generation of young Asian players and secondly the unfortunate case of still being left to play on substandard local authority grounds and facilities.
Whilst in the main the SAPCC remains incredibly well organised, self-funded, and thriving, the first small signs of cracks within long-established leagues, with an average history of twenty-five years plus have started to appear. Highlighted by the fact that participation numbers are declining, especially amongst the younger members of their community. These are incredibly alarming signs and something actually we should not be too surprised to see as the young British Asian in today’s society has all the same temptations away from cricket as their indigenous White British counterparts. The real question whilst understanding the problem lies with what are the possible solutions and have for example the ECB’s ‘All-Stars Programme’ and the more recent ‘Dynamos Cricket’ initiatives both of which are very welcome additions bypassed the SAPCC. It is absolutely imperative therefore that the drivers of these programmes listen, understand and find very real and meaningful ways to directly engage with the cricketing heads from these leagues and most importantly get a grip in helping sustain and grow cricket within the SAPCC and youngsters from this important section of the national cricketing community. Much of the delivery of these programmes and relationship building, sits with the local County Boards and it is clear that their fundamental understanding of the SAPCC and its need to sustain and grow is not as well connected as it could be and therefore priority now needs to be directed towards making sure that the long and rich history of the SAPCC continues for many generations to come.
Nasa Hussain (NACC Vice Chair North, Yorkshire Cricket Foundation Core Cities Development Officer & Head Groundsman Bradford Park Avenue) provides one possible solution in terms of building partnerships between the SAPCC and the County Board responsible for driving and delivering the ECB’s ‘All-Stars and Dynamos Cricket programmes as well as local authorities. Traditionally up and down the Country the parks pitches are booked by the SAPCC for games from 1.00 pm to cover 40-50 over games and there is a golden opportunity for County Boards to engage with their local SAPCC leads and set up initiatives whereby the ‘All-Stars or Dynamos Cricket sessions could be delivered. The adults that play in these leagues all have young sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, etc.. but there is a disconnect in that they may go along to watch the adults play but apart from hitting a ball have no real means to engage in the game any more than just this. An example could be that with local authority engagement the ‘All-Stars and Dynamos Cricket programmes be driven by the local Cricket Board a little earlier than the adult game, say at 11.30 am. The adult participants will bring young members of their families to these sessions, and eventual and greater engagement may well relate to these adults becoming activators, stage 1 coaches, and help run the sessions on a weekly basis. This greater connectivity will then transpire into those youngsters watching the adults play and allowing a greater bond to grow with the SAPCC.
If this initiative could take shape then the opportunity to plant seeds now will surely help engage young children from the SAPCC from an early stage, with National programmes that have been rolled out to their counterparts who are based in well established traditional club environments.
The SAPCC will also see this a huge positive in that it will no doubt create engagement and instant understanding that plans have been put place to help build greater understanding between the County Board and them. Thereby creating countless opportunities that will increase participation, growth, integration, identifying talented players from a younger age as well as helping support the continuation of the SAPCC community. The positive benefits from such initiatives for the diverse cricketing family can be invaluable but sincere and meaningful dialogue needs to commence immediately, otherwise the consequences of letting such opportunities pass may well be disastrous for all in the longer term.
It is also the right time now to fully understand the genuine landscape of the state of park’s grounds and pitches and what very real impact these have on the SAPCC, who by in large still are the dominant cricketing community using what at best can be described these as substandard facilities with very little or no choice. A research paper published recently by the Grounds Management Association (GMA) illustrated just how much cricket could suffer unless urgent action is taken.
The GMA paper suggested that more than half of all cricketers could be impacted over the next decade if grass pitches are not better maintained. With the South Asian Cricketing Community numbers sitting anywhere between 30% – 35% of recreational cricket being played, it is this particular community that faces the very real prospect of substandard grounds and pitches putting players off and walking away from the game altogether. A point highlighted by the GMA who state that as many as half a million more cricketers could play the game if local authority grass pitches receive the care and attention they deserve. Crucially in a summer currently devoid of cricket, this need is highlighted still further.
Whilst absolutely understanding that funding has been a major factor with local authorities ability in maintaining grass grounds and pitches to an acceptable standard, it is perhaps time now that key stakeholders and experts find ways to firstly understand the needs of the SAPCC and then find viable solutions that continue to help this proud cricketing community, sustain and grow on and off the pitch.
Perhaps one solution with relevant training in grounds/cricket pitch management with appropriate public liability insurance for members of the South Asian Cricketing Community to step forward and work in partnership with local and national stakeholders.
Adam Davidson the Berkshire CF Cricket Manager and Cricket Committee member of the South East Sunday Cricket League which happens to be one of the most prominent SAPCC Leagues with a history stretching back close to forty years and spread across five County’s believes facilities continue to be a struggle. With the reduction and deterioration of council facilities, many teams struggle to find a home ground to rent within 10 or even 15 miles of the town where they are based. The result of this is that, whilst the league is made of teams and players largely based in urban areas, the matches themselves often take place many miles out of their immediate communities. As a result, the game is becoming somewhat invisible in the urban boroughs, despite the fact that the interest and passion for the game remain deeply despite the very real challenges. To illustrate this, in Reading there used to be many parks with council maintained cricket pitches. However, for a few years now there has not been a single one left. There are now 9 Reading-based teams in the league, every single one of which will be playing their home games outside the borough.
Nasa, is of the view that more proactive actions need to take place between key stakeholders that will not only help sustain the parks or local authority cricket environment but also give it a new lease of life that will go a long way to help keep to raise standards to a level that is acceptable. One of the possible proposals is that there now needs to be a greater working relationship between the local authority parks/grounds departments and the SAPCC. There are a number of willing and very capable volunteers from the SAPCC who would be very keen to form a front line of trained grounds people that can only help and complement the efforts of the parks and local authority staff. Of course, the matter of training or even upskilling people is one that will need careful planning with appropriate training and with adequate public liability insurance. It’s essential that this approach is taken seriously, otherwise, the decline in parks and local authority based cricket will continue to decline and may well contribute to cricket being played on such facilities disappearing for good. Also under such dialogue, there is the important matter of machinery that is used for the preparation and maintenance of parks and local authority grounds and again if there was a central base where such machinery was stored with say adequate trailers then the transportation issue could be managed too. Although collectively we the cricketing family are going through the most challenging of times, I remain confident that with greater understanding, a clearer mindset, and a genuine to work closely across many fronts we will soon see the dark clouds lifting.
I hope that you find our latest addition an interesting read and I would sincerely like to thank Robbie Book, Mehmooda Duke, Dr. Samara Afzal, and Kirsty Gavillet for their time and informative articles.
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