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In an effort to boost cricket’s popularity in state-sector education, the ECB has announced plans to train secondary school teachers to become coaches.
Following last year’s Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report, the initiative was unveiled at Lord’s on Wednesday as part of an update to the ECB’s Inspiring Generations strategy.
According to the ICEC report, 58% of the England men’s team in 2021 had attended fee-paying schools, and privately educated students were 13 times more likely to play professional cricket, despite the fact that over 93% of British youngsters receive their education in the state sector.
With up to £26 million set aside for the improvement of state facilities in 16 towns and cities, the ECB is now aiming to support cricket provision in 500 state secondary schools by 2030, following years of re-establishing links with primary-school education, primarily through the Chance to Shine charity, which has introduced more than 7 million children to cricket since its launch in 2005.
Over the next six years, the ECB also intends to strengthen the primary-school connection by offering free cricket to 3.5 million students. Additional steps include reorganising cricket’s talent pathway to enhance the flow of state-school players into county age-group programs.
The strategy paper aims to encompass preparation through the end of 2028, including the return of the sport to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, the ECB’s hosting of the Women’s World Cup in 2026, and the men’s and women’s home Ashes series in 2027.
“Today’s announcements are the roadmap for where we will take cricket over the course of the next four years,” Richard Gould, chief executive of the ECB, said. “The delivery of our strategy and positive change in the sport is the responsibility of all of us, led by the ECB to set out how this change will happen.”