FOREWORD
Welcome to the Steelbacks Foundation Impact Report for 2024.
It’s been an exciting year in many ways and one that saw the organisation become the Steelbacks Foundation on October 31st. This organisational change will help us to deliver more activity, reach more people and use cricket for good, in the years to come.
Strategically we continued to prioritise Volunteer recruitment, especially within the Women and Girls’ game, where there continued to be significant growth in participation at all levels.
A second key focus was the transition of participants from National Programmes to competitive hardball cricket. I would like to thank all the clubs that were involved in this process and provided such valuable insight for us to share with ECB.
Our 2025-2029 strategic plan will be launched in the Spring and will include objectives for three pillars, People, Participation and Life Chances. We will aim to welcome new groups to the game regardless of age, background, gender or ethnicity and make Cricket the most inclusive team sport in Northamptonshire.
To sign off, I would like to personally thank all the volunteers involved in cricket who give up so much time supporting the delivery of the recreational game, many of them going above and beyond. Without them, so much of the content of this report just wouldn’t happen.
Derek Styman Cricket Development Manager
OUR VISION
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES NURTURE TALENT ENHANCE LIVES
OUR MISSION
Utilise the power of cricket to enable communities and individuals to unlock their potential and live happier, healthier lives.
STRATEGIC PILLARS
PEOPLE
Remove barriers and create opportunities to find and nurture on and off field cricket talent from all backgrounds.
5
PARTICIPATION
Extend the reach of cricket by removing barriers to access and enabling people and communities to connect and foster long term engagement with Northamptonshire clubs and cricket.
7
LIFE CHANCES
Providing social, physical, education and health opportunities through cricket. CRICKET COLLECTIVE AWARDS
VOLUNTEER REWARD
The Steelbacks Cricket Collective Awards recognise volunteers from the recreational game that go above and beyond at their clubs.
All 17 category winners are invited to a day’s hospitality at the County Ground to receive their awards.
PEOPLE
TRAINING
SAFEGUARDING
CLUB SAFEGUARDING OFFICERS
Support is available to all trained Club Safeguarding Officers including online webinars and regular email updates of key information and ECB policy.
Bystander training was delivered at two venues as a pilot scheme in partnership with Northamptonshire Sport.
This system supports clubs to record and monitor volunteers in regulated roles.
AFRICAN CARIBBEAN DAY
ECB CARRIBEAN T20 FIXTURE
Event run in partnership with ECB to engage African Caribbean community in Northamptonshire and the Midlands.
1,000+
1,000+ Crowd
50+ Children on the outfield prior Fun, Food, Music, Partying & Dominoes!
ECB COUNTY GRANTS FUND
6 clubs received financial support to improve their club social spaces under the Creating Welcoming Environments theme.
£18,085 £18,085
PARTICIPATION
ECB NATIONAL PROGRAMMES
All Stars for 5-8 year olds and Dynamos for 8-11 year olds are junior participation programmes that provide fully inclusive physical activity linked to cricket.
523
1,954
Increase in numbers since 2021 is 11%
SCHOOLS ENGAGEMENT
49
10,590
1,260
1,423
46 LOCAT IONS
684
88 COU RSES
Since 2021, the numbers of girls participating in National Programmes has increased by 15%. This sustained growth has supported the establishment of girls sections across the county.
1,320 15
6,042 34
GIRLS’ PATHWAY
The Girls’ Pathway provides a platform for talent to shine and includes squads at U11, U13 x 2, U15 and U18.
MCC FOUNDATION HUBS
These hubs offer free coaching opportunities for girls in state education and a link between club and county on the girls’ player pathway.
CLUB SUPPORT
Recreational Cricket Clubs are pivotal to the delivery of cricket for all ages. Supporting affiliated clubs to be the best they can be is a key aspect of the Foundation’s strategic plan.
All camps are held during school holidays. There are specific hardball and softball options for a variety of ages and abilities. Offers are available for either mixed or girls only participation.
3 clubs received financial support to improve their club’s facilities for women’s and girls’ cricket under the Enhanced facilities and playing opportunities theme.
£27,276 £27,276
LIFE CHANCES
LORD’S TAVERNERS SUPER 1’S
TABLE CRICKET
Regional
10 Workshops
Participation hubs for ages 12-25. ECB
STREET CRICKET
This programme provides participation opportunities at place based hubs for groups of teenagers and young adults that currently do not participate in the traditional forms of the game.
PARTIC
WALKING CRICKET
Walking Cricket is aimed at older participants (50+) but is open to anyone who might not be able to participate in mainstream cricket due to mobility or other issues.
The primary goal is to ensure that older people can maintain their physical and mental health whilst also enjoying a social environment where they can meet new people.
IPANTS H U BS 71 3
ECB COUNTY GRANTS FUND
3
HAF PROGRAMME
The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.
70
Children on Pupil Premium not only participated in cricket but received nutritional advice at our Summer Camps across the county.
3 clubs received financial support to improve their club’s environmental and financial sustainability under the Tackling Climate Change theme.
£13,312 £13,312
PRINCIPAL STEELBACKS FOUNDATION & OFFICIAL CLUB PARTNER
DEREK STYMAN
CRICKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
derek.styman@nccc.uk
