News Leadon Young Cricketers Are Born!
Leadon Young Cricketers Are Born!
A group of local cricket clubs in Gloucestershire have come together to develop an innovative new approach to youth development and ensure their young cricketers are able to access more cricketing opportunities.
Newent, Dymock, Corse & Staunton and Redmarley have created Leadon Young Cricketers to make provision for their better players at all age groups. The clubs have a good working relationship having played each other for years at both senior and junior levels. Having competed in the Gloucestershire Youth League (GYL) at various age groups, it was obvious that smaller clubs would struggle to either get a team out or compete. So the clubs got together to come up with a solution and as result the Leadon Young Cricketers were born.
Representatives from each club met and thrashed out any issues. They wanted to make provision for all our players and make sure training and competition is at the correct level for the players. Therefore each club has taken the lead for an age group and will coordinate across the partnership. It is important to stress that the clubs are not in competition with each other as players are recognized as home club players primarily and clubs understand this. The clubs trust each other not to poach players, and players are encouraged to be proud of their home club. The aim is that they continue playing the game so the clubs thrive.
As well as the GYL provision, they have also put in place a 6 week winter course for the U17 players. To support this they are ‘buying’ in the services of more experienced coaches to work with the U17 players. The club's own coaches will be attendance to learn from the best so they can take that knowledge and apply it to the younger age groups.
Leadon Young Cricketers is just the start of what is hoped will be a partnership that will grow from strength to strength and will ultimately provide cricket for all the club's players at the right level as well as a support network for the coaches. The clubs felt the development of their coaches was a key part of the programme to ensure sustainability of the development work.
What next? The clubs plan to evaluate the 6 week project and gain feedback from the players and the coaches involved to shape future programmes. The aim is that they will then run this model out to the younger age groups over the next 12 to 8 months.