The project will help promote, increase and sustain participation of children and young people in sport within the borough of Waltham Forest. Apart from the multiple health benefits, it will also help build their confidence in all areas as well as foster social connections through sport. The project will also help children, young people and women from diverse communities to overcome barriers to physical exercise and use sport to develop a strong, positive character and empower themselves.

What we'll deliver:

• Train 3 volunteer members to be qualified level 2 cricket coaches accredited by the England Cricket Board
• Further develop and maintain our cricket ground for training and match play for juniors.
• Offer cost effective sport options to financially disadvantaged community
• Carry out sponsorship generation activities to help pay for other capital and core running costs for the junior section.

Why it's a great idea:

The project will help promote, increase and sustain participation of children, young people and women in sport within the borough of Waltham Forest. It will also help build their confidence in all areas as well as foster social connections through sport. The project will help diverse communities overcome barriers to physical exercise & sport. We have supported a range of initiatives to encourage residents of all ages and communities to participate in cricket, all of which have resulted in on-going participation. The club has a rich history of providing cricket for the local youth in an area of high social deprivation, working with schools and community groups. We provide a valuable sporting and social outlet which is much needed in this community to lead boys and girls away from anti-social behaviour in the community and to taking part in a healthy sporting commitment at the club. The project will make cricket more accessible to children, young people and women in the borough.

Steps to get it done:

• Train 3 volunteer members to be qualified level 2 cricket coaches accredited by the England Cricket Board
• Further develop and maintain our cricket ground for training and match play for juniors
• Put together a Women's Cricket Team by September 2020

We have already commenced indoor cricket training sessions for children, young people and women, which will carry on until April 2020. During this time, we are hoping to increase participation numbers as projected in the next section to outdoor training in late April/early May. The increased number of members will help generate revenue through membership fees and by generating further funds through sponsorship and grants we will make this a self-funding project from 2021. We will send three of our volunteer members on level 2 coaching courses so that we can satisfy the training needs of new and existing participants. This will result in stronger performances in games and motivate children and young people to persevere with the sport. We will pay an experienced groundsman to develop and maintain our outdoor facilities for training sessions for children, young people and women as well as preparing the pitches and outfield on game days.