NatWest boost to grass roots cricket

As part of it's new agreement with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to sponsor the NatWest Series, NatWest will inject £450,000 into grass roots cricket projects over the next three years. The money will go into the provision of Flicx pitches, the production of a Volunteer Support Strategy for club cricket, the distribution of 'skill balls' and the enhancement of Cricket Development Officer training programmes.

NatWest will invest £280,000 of the total amount in Flicx pitches. Subject to additional lottery funding support, a maximum of 600 will be made available over the next three years. The pitches will be delivered to County Boards for their local implementation to needy areas. Flicx pitches are revolutionary plastic cricket pitches, developed in South Africa, whose use will enable Kwik Cricket and Inter Cricket to be played in areas previously deemed unsuitable for any form of the game. Fully mobile, they can be transported amongst Secondary Schools, Primary Schools and local clubs to maximise use.

The Volunteer Support Programme will aim to give national support to the volunteers, who are the lifeblood of recreational cricket. The £140,000 investment will produce a series of newsletters to give help and guidance on a range of topics such as finance and development; a Cricket Parent Pack will provide advice to parents of young cricketers in areas such as nutrition and lifestyle; and a national competition will encourage and reward best volunteer practice.

Finally, 5,000 'skill balls', rubberised cricket balls, will be distributed annually to aid the development of young players, and Cricket Development Officers will also be provided with increased training support.

"This is excellent news for our development programmes," said Keith Pont, ECB's Director of Development. "The Flicx pitches will make a big impact in bringing new young players to the game - youngsters who may never have had a pitch facility available to them.

"The Volunteer Support Programme, meanwhile is a recognition of the vast amount of unsung work which is put in to make the game work at club level. The ECB is committed to giving these people the best support possible." "We are delighted to be supporting cricket at true grass roots level," said Ian Schoolar, Head of Brand Communication at NatWest. "Making cricket more accessible to young players in every location is an essential element in improving the future of English cricket and we are very proud to be an important part of this."