Welcome from Kate Miller What an exhilarating month it has been for Raising The Game.
We're thrilled by the flood of positive stories and innovative initiatives
pouring in from counties and clubs. It's moments like these that reaffirm why
so many of us feel immensely privileged to be part of this sport. This month, we
loved hearing about Somerset CCC’s creative content shoot to launch its
disability teams’ shirts, the Eid prayers at Trent Bridge, the women and young
people’s Vaisakhi Cricket Cup in Leicester and the emerging female umpires in
Staffordshire. That’s to name just a few!
When it comes to our England teams, the action has well and
truly ignited the home international season on the pitch with the Women’s
England v Pakistan Vitality IT20 Series getting off to a strong start last
weekend. Meanwhile, I find myself as inspired by the campaigns and initiatives
we’re driving off-field – from the launch of a thrilling new national tape ball
competition and the first-ever Vaisakhi celebration in the Long Room at Lord's,
through to the groundbreaking Big Cricket Conversation and a new Girls In
Cricket Fund powered by Metro Bank.
As we currently mark Mental Health Awareness Week, focussing
on the theme of ‘Movement,’ I encourage each of you to take a moment to
prioritise self-care this week. You never know, it might kick-start an ongoing
habit. Whether it's squeezing in time at the gym (which personally sets me up
for the day), playing cricket at the weekend or enjoying a stroll with your dog
while listening to music, let’s try to prioritise our well-being through movement.
Below, you’ll find some helpful tips and resources on how to do just that.
Best wishes, Kate Miller Chief Communications Officer |
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Cricket has made a commitment to shift the culture of the
game to become a sport where everyone feels like they belong – we want cricket
to be the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales and are taking steps
every day to enable this ambition. As part of our commitment, we have been
asking big questions and having honest chats to find out different perspectives
on the game’s culture today and hopes for the future.
We’re now asking anyone with a connection to cricket to get
involved – every voice will help shape this new set of values that will guide
our sport, and ultimately, the culture that gives life to our game.
So, how can you please help? - We’d love you to individually
take the survey (before Monday 3 June) – it only takes 5 minutes to
complete.
- We’d love you to please share it with your friends, family,
communities, networks, colleagues, volunteers – every voice matters!
Take a look through our full toolkit, which contains a
selection of assets and copy frameworks to easily share.
For
more information and to take part visit www.thebigcricketconversation.co.uk. |
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Gearing up for the England v Pakistan series and launching
the ECB’s inaugural tape ball competition Ahead of the start of England Men’s and Women’s
international series against Pakistan, England stars Adil Rashid, Dawid Malan,
Heather Knight and Jamie Goodwin helped launch the inaugural National Core
Cities Tape Ball Competition, designed to engage diverse communities in urban
areas, break down barriers and drive grassroots participation. Catch
a glimpse of the exciting tape ball event in Birmingham last month that
launched the new competition and built excitement for the international
series.
Yorkshire County Cricket Club followed this by hosting the
National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition Finals at Bradford Park Avenue which
provided a fantastic facility to welcome teams from each of the Core Cities –
Birmingham, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, Leicester, London (Essex and Surrey),
Luton, Manchester, Sandwell, and Slough. The winner of the men’s Tape Ball
Champions Trophy was Kirklees Hawks and Slough Superstars took home the trophy
for the women.
With the first England Women’s IT20 match against Pakistan
taking place last weekend, journalist Unzela Khan Sheikh wrote a blog exploring why many
British Pakistanis, like herself, will be supporting Pakistan, and why this
only serves to enrich the beauty of cricket in this country.
Sikh community in historic first at Lord’s The ECB and the Race in Cricket Employee Network recently
hosted the first Vaisakhi celebration in the Long Room at Lord's. It was an
inspirational evening of culture, prayer, food and music and a reminder of the
unifying power of sport. Scroll
down on the Raising The Game webpage to check out the video from this event.
Autism Acceptance Month For #AutismAcceptanceMonth in April, we shared
the story of 13 year-old Joseph and his family, talking about the ways that
cricket has changed his life. Taken from Cricket Actually, our new film
about the power of cricket to connect communities.
Metro Bank Girls In Cricket Fund We were thrilled to recently announce the launch of Metro
Bank (UK) Girls In Cricket Fund. This will triple the number of girls’
teams by the end of 2026, increase the number of volunteers & coaches in
girls’ cricket and create a new generation of role models for young players. |
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Somerset’s VICC and Disabled CC shirts launched Somerset County Cricket Club officially unveiled its new
Somerset VICC and Disabled CC shirt for the 2024 season with a shoot at the
Museum of Somerset.
Eman Cup Final is held at Lord’s The Eman Cup is a national tournament for 8–11-year-olds
based around Muslim faith schools. Supported by the ECB and Faith Associates,
50 teams started out in five regional centres – Lancashire, Yorkshire,
Middlesex, Essex and Warwickshire. The winners of each region made the journey
to Lord’s for a thrilling final last Sunday, with a school from Lancashire
winning on the day.
Eid prayers held at Trent Bridge Eid prayers were held on the outfield for the very first time,
marking the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan. Individuals from Colwick’s
Hidayat Dergah community centre and the Mu’Allif organisation in Nottingham
were among those led in prayer by Abdul Aziz Ahmed, Imam at Hidayat Dergah.
Following prayers, attendees enjoyed a Turkish breakfast at the ground.
MCC launches search for the next gen of female broadcasting
talent MCC, supported by Sky Sports and Take Her Lead, is
looking to uncover the next generation of female cricket broadcasting talent.
If you're a budding young journalist or interested in forging or progressing a
career in broadcasting, and you're between the age of 18-24, then enter today
to be in with a chance of being part of the Sky Sports team for their live
broadcast coverage at The Hundred Final at Lord’s on Sunday 18 August.
Staffordshire women embrace Umpire Course This month Staffordshire County Cricket had 15 women
participate in the new ECB Umpire Course. According to the club: “The women
were put at ease from the minute they came through the door and they really
enjoyed it. They never stopped asking questions and just three days after the
course had finished, we received an email from some of the women asking for
opportunities to start umpiring.”
Chance to Shine release street cricket video series A
3-part series, filmed during last year’s Chance to Shine Street Cricket finals,
has been released following the highs and lows of the competition through the
voices of players and coaches, with themes of resilience, teamwork and personal
development showing the impact that cricket can make on the lives of young
people. |
Mental Health Awareness Week It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is “Movement:
Moving more for our mental health.” To mark the week, we’ve partnered with the
Mental Health Foundation who’ve shared lots of ways you can get involved in the week if interested. We
also have many relevant resources available on the EDI Content Hub – just type ‘mental health’ into the search
bar and you’ll see a mixture of lived-experience videos, resources, and support
organisations. Some of the new resources we’ve created include: |
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EDI Calendar
Download our full 2024 EDI Calendar, giving you all the
dates of key events throughout the year.
June: LGBTQ+ Pride Month; Volunteers Week (01); World
Environment Day (05); Parents’ Day (08); Race Unity Day (09); Guru Arjan Dev
Martyrdom – Sikhism (10); Social Mobility Day (13); The Hajj – Islam (14-19);
Father’s Day (16); Eid-al-Adha – Islam (16-19); World Refugee Week (16-22);
Learning Disability Week (19-26); National Windrush Day (22); London Pride
(29)
Easy Read Communications Workshop Tomorrow is Global Accessibility Awareness Day and to mark this
we’re pleased to share an invite to the Easy Read Communications Workshops.
Easy Read documents combine short, jargon-free sentences with simple, clear
images to help explain the content. It is increasingly used to help the 1.5
million people who have a learning disability in the UK. Easy Read can also be
useful for people who speak English as a second language; people who find it
hard to read and write; people who have memory problems; or people who are in a
hurry. During this three-hour online workshop, delivered by the ECB and
Inclusion Gloucestershire, participants will learn the importance of Easy Read
communication and how to create engaging written information that’s easy to
understand and reaches a wider audience. The sessions are co-delivered by a
tutor who has lived experience of facing disabling barriers. Book your space at
one of the sessions today:
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Updates from our Employee Networks |
Lesbian Visibility Week Lesbian Visibility Week took place between the 22 – 28
April and, to mark this, the LGBTQ+ Community in Cricket Employee Network is
sharing some information about why this event is an important time to recognise
and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and unique experiences of
lesbian women and non-binary people. It is also a time to reflect on the
challenges faced by this group, and to promote a greater understanding of the
LGBTQ+ community.
Most people know about the original rainbow pride flag and
the updated Progress Pride flag, but fewer know about the long, contentious
history of the lesbian pride flag. There have been several variations over the
years, but the most widely used version now is the Sunset Lesbian Pride Flag,
created by a nonbinary lesbian named Emily Gwen in 2018. This flag features
seven stripes in a gradient of orange to pink with their own meanings. Find out more
about the flag.
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Beyond the Boundary: EDI progress from outside cricket |
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Abbie Ward: Rugby player wants to 'smash glass ceiling' A
professional rugby player who had a baby and returned to the sport 17 weeks
later says she is hoping to pave the way for other women. Abbie Ward has
won several Six Nations titles, competed in two Rugby World Cup finals and is
the first woman to benefit from new rugby maternity rules. "I was the
first player to have a baby while still training [with] a plan to get straight
back," she said. Her story has now been made into an ITV documentary
titled A Bump in the Road.
Stormzy opens multi-purpose youth centre #Merky HQ in
Croydon Stormzy has joined adidas to mark his latest venture,
growing the #Merky FC program by opening an interactive community centre in
South London. Born and bred in Croydon, Stormzy is assisting his local borough
with the #Merky FC HQ, opening a go-to spot for activities, community events
and more. Stormzy and adidas refurbished the previously dishevelled Selhurst
Sports Arena, building #Merky FC HQ from scratch into a state-of-the-art
centre. To launch the centre, Stormzy did a tour of #MerkyFC HQ, captured in
this video. The youth centre will provide opportunities in football, music,
gaming and beyond. |
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