Community

Developing cricket through less traditional routes through our community programmes
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The GCF is committed to delivering engaging and impactful cricket programmes to benefit the lives of everyone in their communities throughout the county of Gloucestershire.

From helping to improve health, mental wellbeing, and reducing stress, cricket can also develop individual skills ranging from communication, teamwork, and leadership, while bringing communities together and breaking down social barriers.

Our community cricket programmes and events offer fun and inclusive activity for people of all ages and abilities across Gloucestershire, whilst aiming to improve people’s lives and providing opportunities through the Power of Cricket.

ACE African Caribbean Engagement

The Ace Programme Charity

The ACE Programme Charity was launched in 2020 to engage young people from African and Caribbean communities and aims to ‘Support Diverse Talent from the Grassroots to the Elite’, while providing a wider impact on the community through cricket.

ACE stands for ‘African Caribbean Engagement’ and aims to inspire the wider game to support reconnecting with the Black community. Bristol is the third city to deliver ACE, building grassroots cricket programmes, developing talent pathways and talent ID systems that provide opportunities into elite cricket throughout the diverse communities of the city.

Wicketz: free cricket programme for 8–16-year-olds from inner-city communities

Wicketz is a free community cricket programme aimed at young people aged 8 – 16 who find accessing physical activity challenging. It provides year-round weekly cricket sessions as well as workshops that teach vital life skills.

Wicketz Bristol hubs seek to connect young people to their communities, provide opportunities to engage with further communities throughout the city, breaking down social barriers through cricket.

a group of boys designing a Wicketz t-shirt with their team values
Chance to Shine Street (LOGO)

Chance to Shine Street: free cricket initiative that brings young people from diverse communities together to play and learn

Chance to Shine Street is a free cricket initiative that brings young people from diverse communities together to play and learn.

Street in Bristol provides opportunities for children as young as five years old through to young adults in their early twenties to engage in weekly cricket activity throughout the year.

Disability County Teams

Disability Cricket

Cricket is truly for all and at Gloucestershire we try to ensure that every young child and adult has access to playing or being involved in our great game.

We offer accessible cricket in many different ways; from schools delivery through our Disability Development Officer, our Community Hubs, which provide free opportunities across the year and also performance cricket through our visually impaired and soft ball formats.

Walking Cricket

Walking Cricket

Walking Cricket is for people of all standards. Whether you’ve played before, are an absolute beginner, fancy meeting new people or are doing it for other reasons, then this can be for you. Targeting people of 50 years of age and above, this free weekly opportunity truly is for all and provides you with that opportunity to improve both your physical and mental wellbeing.

The programme is currently only offered in Bristol but our ambition across 2022 is to open up new hubs across the county.

MCC Foundation

The MCC Foundation aims to enhance cricketing opportunities for talented state-educated cricketers outside of the county pathway. Successful triallists are invited to take part in the free 10 week winter training programme, where they will receive coaching and train in a competitive environment.

In the summer, they will have the opportunity to represent their respective hubs in the National Hub Competition, with an opportunity for finalists to play at Lord’s.

Wider Outreach

Our ambition is to deliver cricket and sport-based interventions across Gloucestershire and Bristol, with a focus on helping communities live fulfilled lives. We work with our schools, clubs and local community groups, to deliver our services and programmes, working in partnership to positively impact the families living in these areas.

In each of our 8 Local Authorities, wards and areas are identified as requiring support, some of which are the most deprived areas nationally. Access to good quality sporting and social infrastructure can be hard to come by so our interventions are vital in helping to improve the lives of people in these areas.