The changing face of participation in cricket was on display at a recent academy held in Auckland.
Auckland Cricket’s Friday Night Superstar Academy held in Ormiston and Flatbush was a great success in bringing cricket to new and diverse gender and ethnic groups.
The project got underway in January this year and saw 124 children under the age of nine register, with 12 parents showing interest in volunteer committee roles for next season.
A fifth of the participants were girls and approximately half of all participants were from the sub-continent. There were also 20 Chinese children taking part which further illustrates the diversity of the participants involved.
Adrian Dale headed up the project, with support from ACA staff as they looked to build on the cricket development work carried out over the previous seasons in the region.
With Auckland being home to people from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities, this type of project is crucial in ensuring cricket is not only available but accessible to people from all backgrounds, especially migrant communities.
