Cricket East

The National Asian Cricket Council (NACC) is delighted to be the recipient of the England & Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) 'Special Recognition Award' 2019 at the prestigious British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSA), hosted at the Hilton Hotel, Heathrow.

Established in 2014 the NACC is ECB's official advisory body for engagement with the hugely important South Asian cricketing community. Since the launch of ECB's South Asian Action Plan in May 2018, the NACC has been instrumental in helping challenge, offer advice and deliver the comprehensive strategy, which was derived after extensive, nationwide consultations with South Asian cricketing communities over a period of 18 months.

The NACC was formed to be a voice for the South Asian cricketing community, which make up approximately 30% of recreational cricket played. The drive originally came from the South Asian cricketing community themselves in wanting a voice that would raise their concerns about understanding, supporting and growing their cricketing interests in many aspects of recreational and professional pathways. For cricket to truly be a sport for all it was imperative for an organisation like the NACC to be formed and then to work very much in line with ECB’s strategy in supporting the wider cricketing family. Whilst a huge amount of work has been done and clear direction has now been given, it is vital that County Boards fully understand the role the NACC can play in helping to support their engagement with the South Asian cricketing community in their region.

With executive officers appointed in prime counties throughout the UK, the NACC aim to utilise their expert community knowledge to provide support to the South Asian cricketing communities and County Boards to build stronger relationships and mutually work towards the betterment of cricket in each region.

Over the last four years, the NACC has worked closely with a number of County Boards around the country, including Cricket East, as well as a number of internal ECB departments on specific projects and this is set to progressively continue. Gulfraz Riaz, NACC Chairman, is a member of the Luton Focus Group, a steering Group for the Core City Project and has given Cricket East key letters of support as the Luton project has been evolving and developing.

Gulfraz Riaz said:
"We are delighted to be ECB's official advisory body and are committed to helping identify and support the needs of the South Asian cricketing community, whilst at the same time helping ECB deliver what is an extremely thorough and comprehensive South Asian Action Plan. We can certainly start to see and feel a change up and down the country, as well as the impact this action plan is starting to have.”

Gulfraz added, "From the outset, the NACC wanted to be a voice for the South Asian cricketing community; a voice about integration, not segregation and one that truly represents the best interests of a passionate member of the cricketing family that ultimately then brings cricketing stakeholders closer."

ECB Board member, Lord Kamlesh Patel, said, “The work that the NACC has done is pivotal in
our effort to further engage the South Asian cricket community. The relationship between the local South Asian cricketing community and their local Cricket Board is key in cementing the vision that is laid out in our South Asian Action Plan and the NACC has been instrumental in solidifying this.”

If you would like to know more about NACC or how to become a member please visit our website HERE.