We engage thousands of young people (aged eight – 24) in under-served areas through our Street cricket clubs. Typically running every week, all year-round, the clubs give young people the opportunity to develop their cricket and life skills, whilst also taking part in informal matches.
The clubs run after school or on weekends, they are completely free, players don’t need to bring any equipment and can wear whatever they like. The sessions run in sports halls, youth clubs, parks, places of worship and community centres. Most clubs are open to all genders, but in some locations, we run all girls sessions.
Young people are given ownership of sessions so each club looks different – whether they want to progress their skills, or just want to have a fun time with their friends, our coaches will look to accommodate it, no matter the age or ability.
Street Cricket Clubs across England, Scotland and Wales
of participants are from ethnically diverse backgrounds
of Street Clubs were based in the most deprived areas of England and Wales
of Street cricketers live within 15 minutes of their Street club
Our Street cricketers play a format called Street20. Matches are 20 balls a side and played with a tapeball and plastic bat.
All Chance to Shine Street clubs take part in local competitions against other nearby clubs, during the school holidays. The winners of these qualify for the Regional Street Finals, which are put on by our delivery partners, to compete for a place in the National Finals at Nottingham University. There are National Finals in three categories: Young Adults, Youth and Girls.
Street competitions give young people the chance to play against teams from different places, develop their team working and leadership skills, while testing their cricketing abilities in a friendly environment.
For many Street cricketers, joining a traditional cricket club isn’t possible due to financial or geographical barriers. Some participants are talented enough to play at a higher level, so we introduce them to their local cricket clubs so they can continue playing. We also collaborate with our delivery network to ensure that the most talented cricketers get noticed and have access to development programmes and pathways.
But Street clubs are more than a place for young people to play cricket. Chance to Shine’s fully qualified coaches are mentors for young people, intertwining core skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication and problem solving into sessions. The most engaged participants are encouraged to train as coaches to continue their development.
Outside of cricket, former Street cricketers Zoeya and Bilal have credited Street for helping them develop skills for university studies and in their careers as a doctor and accountant respectively.
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