Cricket East

If you were to go to Queen’s Park around 10 years ago, you probably wouldn’t have seen a lot of opportunities for young people to play cricket. The limited opportunities that were available still presented barriers to participation; time, equipment and financial constraints were just some of the barriers that excluded many young aspiring cricketers. To combat these barriers Cricket East partnering with Chance to Shine came together to implement a Chance to Shine Street Club within the Queen’s Park Community.

The Queens Park Street Club is a cricket club that is funded by the independent cricket charity Chance to Shine, who work with over 600,000 children per year in the UK, targeting areas of deprivation and children who may not have many opportunities to engage in sport - mainly cricket.

They are free sessions which run every week, all year-round, and the clubs aim to give young people the opportunity to develop their cricket and life skills. No equipment is needed, and the participants shape they way they play.

The start of the Street Club had its challenges – as with everything new – but the club had a unique approach to how it overcame these early difficulties. Football was one of the most popular sports in the community and with the stigma of cricket being a sport where you just ‘stand around’, it was a struggle to get young people to join in. To try and compete with this popularity the club devised a plan to attract young athletes. The club introduced a 30-minute football session as an entry point, which allowed the coaches to engage with the young people of the community in a sport they were more comfortable with, and then they could gradually introduce them to cricket. These innovate methods of engagement were a success and the numbers have continued to grow year after year.

The success and impact of this club has been immeasurable, and this wouldn’t have been possible with the dedication of its coaches. The coaches of this club attend week in-week out and provide a familiar and safe and supportive environment where the participants can thrive and enjoy cricket. Head Coach and lead of the club, Abid, has been at the club since its first session, not just a figure in this club but a well-established figure within the community and local cricket club. The club is also run by two other coaches, who both used to attend the Street Club themselves. Moin and Faheem are now both well-established coaches and big influences on the young people of the community.

The Street Club has many great connections with the community. The parents and guardians play a crucial role in supporting the club by spreading the word within their family and social circles which as helped significantly boost the outreach of the club. Outreach has also been significantly boosted through connections with local schools and religious institutions.

The Club has a great connection with the local cricket club – Queen’s Park Youth Cricket Club (QPYCC). QPYCC is the closest local club to the Street Club and this proximity means that the young participants can easily walk there and don’t have to rely on public transport or parent/guardian transportation. The link with this club has meant that players from the Street club have had a greater opportunity and a pathway to further their cricket if they choose to do so, and some of the Clubs members now play in Junior and Senior hardball competitions.

his club provides a crucial, safe space where children of the community can come to exercise, socialise and enjoy cricket. The club significantly enriches the lives of its participants and is a vital outlet for the young people of the community. The club’s and coaches’ commitment to its participants is astounding and deserved the recognition for the work they do for both young people and community, making sure that everyone has opportunities regardless of background.

The hard work and commitment of the coaches and participants was nationally recognised on the 21st November at the Chance to Shine Awards. Here, the club was awarded with Street Club of The Year!

A statement from James Exley, our Participation & Growth Manager – Education and National Programmes:

‘On the 21st of November the Street Club was recognised at the National Chance To Shine Awards as Street Club of the Year 2024. The Club also reached the final in the National Street Club competition, coming agonisingly close to winning. Both amazing achievements considering there are over 300 street clubs in the country! The coaches hard work, respect and welcoming personalities are reflected by the young participants in how easy it is for new people to join, showing how much of an influence the three coaches have. The Queens Park Street club is a great example of how cricket is a game for everybody and that Chance to Shine is more than just cricket.’

Some quotes from our coaches, participants and parents:

“So that’s what we try to do, we try to give them a holistic perspective about life not just about cricket”

“One kids who’s recently come from India, he wanted to play cricket and he just came to the park and saw us and that was just the way for him to get into cricket and now he’s plays for our club and he’s just loving it”

“Anything you’re struggling with you can just tell him, if you went to any other coach, or anything other coach, obviously you feel shy to tell them but like him, there’s no being shy you can just tell him and open your feelings to him”

“Every week I always know I’m going to get a chance to play, no matter what I do, field, bat, bowl, I know I’ll always get a chance and its competitive”

“It was just seeing all these friendly faces, friendly coaches, there was no rigmarole, it was wear what you want, no expectations totally inclusive”

“Last year I batted 8th or 9th this year I opened the batting”