Million pound boost to grass roots cricket

Grass roots cricket will benefit from a Sport England grant of £982,000, which will help fund a series of comprehensive development programmes devised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The ECB will receive the money over four years, with an initial input of £282,000 for 2000; it will form part of an overall development package worth in excess of £1 million. The award complements Sport England's strong ongoing support for cricket development, which dates back to 1989.

A number of new initiatives will benefit. The ECB is now able to appoint four regional Women's Club Development Officers and three additional National Coaches; it will also set up a new Groundsmanship Advisers Structure as well as a County Board Professional Support programme.

The four new Women's Club Development Officers will begin work in May and will cover the South West region, Home Counties, East Midlands and the North. The three additional National Coaches, also due to start in May, will assist in coach education as well as the Development of Excellence programme up to Under 19 level.

A total of 45 groundsman advisers will be appointed to County Boards over three years, with 15 commissioned each year. They will be responsible for overseeing pitch development at recreational level throughout their regions. Finally, an educational support programme will be introduced to assist County Boards in their essential development work at local level.

Keith Pont, Director of Development at the ECB, said, "Without support from Sport England, the development of cricket in this country could not have moved on at such a pace.

"Thanks to their assistance, we are now able to a deliver a range of important projects which will all help broaden the reach of cricket and improve development standards. One benefit will be our increased ability to target inner cities and socially-excluded groups, which is one of our main objectives.

"Cricket development has come on hugely since the formation of the ECB. By the end of this year, we hope to finalise a comprehensive five-year plan for the future development of cricket in all areas - at Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Clubs and for all social groups."

David Dolman, Leader of Sport England Service Team for cricket, said, "Sport England is delighted to support the ECB in its desire to strengthen the essential infrastructure of the game. Better coach development, the improvement of turf pitches and highly effective County Cricket Boards are all fundamental for the game to flourish.

"Also the introduction of Women's Club Development Officers is a reflection of a shared wish by ECB and Sport England to get more women and girls playing cricket and to improve standards in a part of the game which has great potential for expansion. We will be monitoring the success of these funded initiatives together with a view to ongoing support in the years to come."

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For further information, please contact Mark Hodgson in Corporate Affairs: Tel: 020 7432 1251. Fax: 020 7289 5619. E-mail: mark.hodgson@ecb.co.uk