gcp are working with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), to support the delivery of their recently launched 11-point action plan to better engage with South Asian communities, which aims to diversify the game, remove barriers to participation and use cricket to make a positive difference to society.
Through the creation of the action plan, ECB identified that the most significant barrier to South Asian participation is limited access to cricket facilities in urban areas – where the vast majority of these communities live. To address this, ECB plans to provide year-round access to facilities, tackling the challenges of availability, quality and cost, by installing affordable community cricket facilities in urban locations where demand is highest. A key component of this action, is the piloting of three indoor Urban Cricket Centres during the next two years, with the ambition of creating more than 20 Centres over the next five years.
gcp have worked alongside ECB to develop the Urban Cricket Centre delivery model, and Ridge and Partners have worked with gcp and ECB to advise on costs.
This exciting opportunity follows up on gcp’s previous work with the ECB to develop the technical guidance note for indoor cricket facilities.
20+ new Urban Cricket Centres to be developed by 2024