Is the future of the Cricket Academy in doubt?

To keep the national sport of cricket alive and healthy it is up to clubs such as Corsham Cricket Club to attract a supply of players who are keen to learn the game and to learn and improve the skills required that will allow them to play at the highest level available to them.

Corsham Cricket Club are rightly proud of their tradition of being able to encourage boys and girls to participate as soon as they can hold a bat or ball. With the voluntary investment of time and expertise, several of Corsham's youngsters have progressed to become respected and valued members of not only the Club, but of the local community, and have gone on to play representative cricket.

You may know someone who has benefited from the Club's efforts in the past or you may have or know of a child who is currently a member of the Corsham Cricket Club Academy or has been attending the 'All Stars' programme which is supported by the Club.

Corsham Cricket Club has the space and facilities to be able to offer places in the Academy or the All Stars programme to young cricketers in and around Corsham, but what it doesn't have is an inexhaustible supply of the volunteers required to provide the necessary coaching or support that such undertakings require.

To that end, the Club is attempting to assemble a team of volunteers to take on specific roles within the Academy organisation that have previously fallen onto a bare minimum number of individuals.

Some of the roles that directly involve children will necessitate volunteer's attendance at a seminar or training course, but most roles are of the purely administrative kind which require no specific training. None of the roles require any particular knowledge of the game and you don't have to have played the game yourself (although if you have, it might help!).

There follows a list of the activities roughly grouped into roles which the Club hopes to spread among a newly formed 'Academy Management Team'. If there is an activity or role among these that you would be willing to undertake or share, please reply accordingly ...

Admin relating to meeting of coaches:

• Send out invitations to coaches to attend approximately eight meetings during the year
• Chair meetings and take minutes
• identify action points; allocate action points to individuals; monitor action points

• Ensure representation of the Academy Management Team at approximate eight meetings of the General Committee during the year
• compile a report for the meetings of Academy activity
• act as the contact point between General Committee and the Academy Management Team.

• Attend approximately four meetings of the Wiltshire Youth League
• attend AGM of Bath Youth League
• assist Schools Liaison Officer with arrangements/running of two Kwik Cricket Festivals.

• Along with lead coaches and Director of Cricket, identify the number and dates of winter training sessions for four age groups
• Determine and book venue(s)
• send out invitations to existing Academy members.

• Identify individuals who might want to improve their knowledge
• identify potential coaches; identify potential Coach Support Workers
• Identify potential Umpires and Scorers
• find out when courses/seminars are being held
• book places for candidates; ensure candidates attend
• monitor coaches and officials and encourage continuous development of their skills
• liaise with the Club's Welfare Officer to ensure that any adult who has contact with children obtains a 'DBS' certificate.

• Determine date and book with Club's Event coordinator
• prepare invitations to Parents and Academy Members
• coordinate refreshments; ensure lead coaches are present
• arrange a 'kit swap' table
• arrange for attendance of kit supplier
• distribute new kit if applicable.

• Determine date and book with Club's Event coordinator
• prepare invitations to Parents and Academy Members
• coordinate refreshments; ensure lead coaches are present
• ensure lead coaches have nominated their award recipients and have notified recipients of 'Outstanding Performance' certificates
• arrange for engraving of perpetual trophies and procure medals for Award winners
• coordinate with Academy Management Team the winners of the Academy Player of the Year and the 'Dick Fisher' Award.

• Coordinate identification of any new kit required with lead coaches ready for the season
• obtain consent of Club Treasurer to purchase kit from approved supplier
• order kit and distribute on receipt.

• Ensure that parents of existing Academy members have checked that details on file for them are correct
• supply any corrections or deletions to the Club's Membership Secretary
• Ensure that the parents of any new members complete a membership application form for them and pass the form to the Club's Membership Secretary for formal enrolment and collection of appropriate membership fees.

• Ensure that any notable news or dates of events are passed on to the Club's website administrators
• ensure that Academy Sponsors are included in any publicity.

• Each age group (of which there are currently five) requires a Lead Coach who should ideally have gained a UKCC Level 2 certificate
• as there is a need to maintain a ratio of 1:8 (net sessions), 1:16 (hard ball) or 1:24 (group coaching) and that a minimum of two adults should be present at all times, there is an obvious need for one or more assistants for each age group. Ideally, assistants will have attained a certificate as a Coach Support Worker, but could easily be a parent.

• Each team or at least each age group should have a ‘Match Manager’ who ensures that there are sufficient players available for each game, and for arranging transport to away games
• the Match Manager will also ensure that an umpire and scorer is made available, and that someone is responsible for preparing cricket teas or refreshments as dictated by the type of match being played
• The Match Manager will liaise with counterparts of opposing teams to ensure that everyone knows where each game is to be played and at what time it starts
• the Match Manager will also be responsible for advising the appropriate league of the result of each match using the procedure published by each league (usually through a website). If a home match is to be rearranged, the Match Manager must liaise with the Groundsman or ground authority to fix the date to ensure that the ground and a pitch is made ready.

Having identified all the elements which are required to keep the Academy conveyor belt moving, you will no doubt be pleased to learn that the Club already has a number of volunteers who have agreed to take on the main coaching and match management roles for the 2019 season. These are as follows …

If you require any further information about any of the above roles, please do not hesitate to let us know, either by replying to this email or by talking to any of the undersigned.

If volunteers who are willing to take on some of these activities are not found then the future of the Academy is uncertain. Please do not let this happen!

Thank you for your time in reading this article.

pp Corsham Cricket Club General Committee