Cricket East

Whilst we are all currently frustrated with the lack of cricket activity at the moment and all the hard work put in over the winter in preparation for the season, many clubs are looking further ahead into the future and using this time to prepare.

St Ives & Warboys Cricket Club in Huntingdonshire are one of those clubs, and they have taken the opportunity of more available time to undertake a review of its operations and prepare itself in the best way it can for the future. Basically looking at controlling what it can control, and mitigating the risks of factors it cannot.

Since lockdown, the club has continued having monthly committee meetings and provided regular updates to its members. Whilst they haven’t been able to talk about on-field activities, it has enabled the committee to focus on its off-field activities, and how best to progress the club. This has included;

• Application to apply for Community Amateur Club Status (CASC)
• Review and updating of information on its club management system
• Reviewing the adequacy of its existing club management systems and comparison against alternatives
• Implementation of new club accounting processes and separation of duties for its finances
• Evolving their junior cricket offering to enable more cricket over the autumn and winter to make up for lost time this summer
• Net improvements and tidying up of grounds
• Updating of the clubs development plan
• Production of sponsored and overseas player agreements
• Introduction of a committee responsibility policy and updating of the clubs governance policies
• Introduction of an annual coaching plan for senior players and individual player development plans
• Introduction of a coaching framework, to further strengthen coaching provision, including the increased use of modern coaching techniques
• Review of committee meetings and paperwork to improve effectiveness and ensure all they do is aligned to the club development plan
• Review of available funding opportunities and required future facility upgrades
• Running a donation of old kit scheme which can be used for training session and general use
• Planning for the return of cricket and how this can marketed as well as reviewing charging structures and potential subsidies to encourage participation

Martin Croucher, club Chairman said “Our aim is to not just survive the current period but build the club in such a way so that it can prosper when cricket finally returns. Many of the actions we are taking will benefit the long term future of the club and we hope attract both existing and new members back into cricket. It is going to be tough for all cricket clubs and taking action now, could really make all the difference in a clubs long term future.”

If any clubs would like more information on the above, or have similar stories of what they have been working on during Lockdown, please contact Sam Rose on sam.rose@cricketeast.co.uk