ICC Cricket World Cup Schools Programme Launched

The ECB and ICC today announced their strategic plan to use the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to boost cricket participation and help drive the long-term growth of the game in England and Wales.

It will use the iconic global sporting event - the biggest prize in world cricket - to inspire and engage 1 million young people, aged between 5 and 12, in the next year.

A core pillar of this plan is the Cricket World Cup Schools Programme which launched today and will aim to engage over 700,000 school children across England and Wales in conjunction with Chance to Shine.

The launch event was held at Lord’s Cricket Ground - host venue for the ICC Cricket World Cup Final on 14 July 2019 – where current England players David Willey and Heather Knight joined former cricketers Isa Guha and Graeme Swann along with local school children from St. Edwards Primary School.

Together, they took part in a classroom session, using cricket as an educational tool; one key element of the World Cup Schools Programme where teachers can sign up to an online portal full lesson ideas that take cricket into the classroom here.

The strategy builds on the wider ECB framework of Cricket Unleashed and supporting the South Asian Action Plan launched earlier this year, the strategy has four key aims to drive growth throughout the game:

1. Creating stronger, diverse, family-friendly clubs: A World Cup Small Grants Scheme will see £1,000 grants made available for 3,000 recreational cricket clubs and 3,000 clubs will throw open their doors for special Cricket World Cup events

2. Expanding the reach, relevance and scale of cricket within 8,000 Primary Schools: A World Cup Schools Programme - developed in conjunction with Chance to Shine – to bring cricket to the playground and classroom. It will engage up to 15,000 teachers through the Cricket World Cup teachers’ portal and offer World Cup Kwik Cricket competitions in schools.

3. Expanding the accessibility of All Stars Cricket: The ECB’s flagship entry-level scheme for 5-8-year-olds will benefit from a ICC Cricket World Cup take-over to further extend the reach of the programme. This will be coupled with a commitment to drive the growth of All Stars Cricket in inner-city areas in conjunction with the South Asian Action Plan.

4. Attract New Fans: Engaging families in cricket through the ICC Cricket World Cup by tailored marketing, in-stadium experiences and out-of-venue activities

ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison and ex-England Cricketer, Graeme Swann both stated their excitement for the showpiece tournament arriving at England and Wales next year and the residual legacy that it will leave upon the countries, expected to encourage further cricket and educational development.