ECB chief executive Richard Gould: "The Impact of Cricket demonstrates the power of our sport and the positive effect it can have on players, fans or volunteers and on the communities where it is played. Our ambition is to make cricket the most inclusive sport in England and Wales"
Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:09, UK
The England and Wales Cricket Board's first Impact of Cricket report has shown that playing the game has developed wellbeing and social inclusion and boosted children's confidence.
The ECB worked with The Sports Consultancy to assess the effect its projects have had with a number of positives emerging around fitness, mental health and engaging within communities.
Eighty per cent of players agreed that playing cricket keeps them active in a way they would not be without it, with 96 per cent of those surveyed by the ECB saying playing cricket makes them feel happy, with a significant majority also agreeing it makes them feel more relaxed (85 per cent) and more worthwhile (81 per cent)
Plus, 83 per cent of parents said their child's confidence has increased from taking part in the ECB's All Stars and Dynamos programmes.
The report also highlighted the social cohesion cricket can foster, with over 90 per cent of players feeling the game makes them feel part of the community and 83 per cent saying they appreciate people from different backgrounds having been involved in cricket.
ECB chief executive officer Richard Gould said: "The Impact of Cricket demonstrates the power of our sport and the positive effect it can have on the lives of players, fans or volunteers - and on the communities where it is played.
"By going through the process of producing an impact report, it was our aim to learn more, both about what is working well and where there are opportunities to have greater impact.
"Our ambition is to make cricket the most inclusive sport in England and Wales. While we know we have much more work to do, this report shows that cricket is delivering significant benefits today and that we have solid foundations on which to deliver lasting change, to more people, in future."
Gould also said the ECB remains committed to delivering on equality, diversity and inclusion within the sport but it will take time to implement change.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report published in June found racism was entrenched in the sport, and that women routinely experienced sexism and misogyny.
The report, which was based on evidence gathered from over 4,200 individuals and organisations connected to cricket, also found the sport to be elitist, highlighting cost barriers within the talent pathway.
The ECB is expected to be called before a cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Commons Select Committee early in 2024 where an update on progress is likely to be addressed.
Gould added: "Our biggest focus is on the conclusions of the ICEC report. We had an event with [ICEC chair] Cindy Butts and her team a couple of weeks ago, which really was a positive in that it was handing across responsibility to us and the game to be able to deal with it.
"I think our response to the report had been well received both by the commissioners and Government and other stakeholders, but there are still issues within that which we need to resolve and they are going to take some time and investment to go through.
"The work that has been going into EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] hasn't just started with the issue of that [ICEC] report, that report was a recognised symptom of where the game is at. We are nowhere near completion, but I think there is some positive steps.
"The position that we are in is the best position to be in. We have had an independent report commissioned and given to us, now we have to deliver on that."
