Recreational Cricket in England and Wales
Cricket Ireland and the provincial cricket unions are seeking to chart a way forward for the sport in this country that combines a commitment to club cricket with the creation of a structure that will sustain a professional team capable of competing successfully at the highest international level.
[Link to Article]An interesting perspective on the challenges ahead is provided by a recent article by David Hopps on ESPN Cricinfo about a crisis in recreational cricket in England and Wales. The article paints a picture of an amateur sport in decline with clubs closing, fewer players and volunteers and pressure on funding. Despite the resources and commitment of the ECB, the club game is struggling to sustain interest and to provide the environment for introducing the next generation to the game. There has been a 7% drop in numbers playing in the last year and of the 844,000 club players, less than 250,000 could be counted as regulars*.
In Ireland and Leinster of course we start from a very different position as we try to increase participation and improve standards. The last few years has seen some notable success with the number of clubs, teams and players increasing year on year. But the article poses a question that still needs an answer.
How do you save a game that demands hours when many people only want to give minutes, that only reveals its secrets slowly when everybody wants instant gratification?
Many of the issues raised in the article will resonate with those involved in trying to grow the domestic game. It is worth a read.
*In Leinster the proportion of regular players [defined in the article as those who play 12 of more matches per season] is higher than for England and Wales - 43% as opposed to 29% of total players. Using the number of regular club players as the key measure, and assuming Leinster has about a third of all regular club players in the country, this would mean that recreational cricket is something like 1% of the size of the game across the Irish Sea.