Nottingham Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation Hub
Youth Community Initiative
School allows use of facility and has a big involvement which has has been pivotal in providing young people from the community to not only have access to high quality facilities, but also gives our young players a taste of the High School as along with the other coaches.
The Nottingham Hub coaching staff have no doubt that the Nottingham High School’s involvement has enabled the players to excel further.
The Under 15 Boys made it through to the 2022 National Finals vs Newcastle, which was played at Lords.
Where the coaches and players got the full international players' experience. The journey to the finals was just as memorable, exciting and the matches in itself where tightly contested.
The young people and their families loved the experience in its entirety. This has inspired these young boys and girls in the hub and galvanised them into sport and allowed them to work as a team gaining amazing experiences which have lifechanging implications.
Aims
The Aim is to continue to support the NMCCF Hub as it flourishes. Recently we have had request to use the facilities more as the demand for the hub has grown in numbers.
The need to increase hours of access to the schools facilities to cater for the additional numbers.
The success criterias are the number of people who benefit from this relationship & the shared success of introducing and inspiring young people into the lifelong relationship with sport and all the health and well-being benefits.
Background
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NOTTINGHAM MCCF HUB
The Nottingham Hub is part of 74 other MCCF Hubs across the United Kingdom (UK) overseen by the Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation (MCCF) from Lords Cricket Ground in London. In 2011, the MCCF launched the coaching program aimed at State educated players from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds across the UK to address the decline of talented children from state schools progressing into club cricket and representing county sides. This decline is completely reflected in the make-up of the England men’s cricket team, 65% of whom come from the independent schooling sector, despite this educating only (5% - 7%) of the population. There is also a great need to grow girls’ cricket in State schools and the MCCF Hub seeks to help in this regard and hopefully grow from strength to strength.
The Nottingham MCCF Hub based at Nottingham High School (NHS) started in 2016 with roaring success and has built year on year. It was greatly supported in its formation by the local independent/public school Nottingham High School and the NHS Director of Cricket - Mark Baker.
With the help of NHS, fellow coaches, parents and players, I have managed the successful youth cricket development Hub for boys and girls aged between (11 – 15 years old) since 2018/19. In the early part, I had tremendous support from Mr Mark Baker who had kindly asked me to take over Hub management from him as he was sometimes getting more busy with his work commitments at NHS. In this voluntary role away from my busy full-time job as a COMMUNITY PROTECTION OFFICER with Nottingham City Council (NCC), I have engaged with schools, local clubs, and parents annually. Every year, between 80 – 130 young players sign up to take part in trials held at Nottingham High School. I arrange trials, recruit fellow coaches, arrange winter training sessions (winter & summer months), as well as arrange matches in the summer for all teams including the hiring of umpires were necessary. Each year and after trials are conducted to select successful candidates in each age group, at least 24 (U13 boys), 24 (U15 boys) and between 8 – 16 girls (U12 – U15).
In 2021, a good and organised Nottingham MCCF Boys U15 team made it to the 2021 MCCF National U15 semi-finals. They narrowly missed out on a place in the MCCF National Boys U15 FINALS played at the “Home of Cricket” Lords Cricket Ground in September 2021 after beating a strong Sheffield MCCF Hub team but losing to Manchester MCCF Hub. During the 2021 MCCF National Cup qualifying rounds and season. Team/s (U13 & U15) travelled to various cities to play at Festivals and fixtures against other MCCF Hubs in Leicester, Oundle, Cambridge, and London.
In the last 3 – 5 years, the Nottingham MCCF Hub has been rated annually by the MCCF to be in the top [3 -5 MCCF Hubs] out of 74 MCCF hubs across the UK in terms of high-class training facilities provided by Nottingham High School, management, structure, and delivery. Since its formation, the Nottingham MCCF Hub has seen some young boys and girls benefiting from a high-quality coaching programme, playing competitive fixtures during the cricket season in other cities and against Nottingham High School. Each year, some Nottingham Hub players have then also been successful in gaining places in the NCCC age group squads squads. Also in 2021, one of our players (Cameron Andrew) managed to secure himself a cricket scholarship after having performed well at the 2021 National MCCF U15 T20 Semi-Finals held at Worksop College. This life changing opportunity was made possible through the Worksop Headmaster Dr John Price who is also passionate about cricket, youth development and growth.
The Hub are greatly appreciate the GREAT help from NHS in supporting this youth development initiative which will once again continue in 2023 and onwards.
Resources
Access to full schools sports facilities inc:
Indoor cricket nets and gym
Outdoor nets and Cricket pitches
Impact
24 (U13 boys), 24 (U15 boys) and between 8 – 16 girls (U12 – U15).
Impact is far greater than just the number of athletes involved. It is inspirational and as mentioned in background notes, for some of these young people life changing and enables them new pathways for social mobility.
Pupil Involvement
24 (U13 boys), 24 (U15 boys) and between 8 – 16 girls (U12 – U15).
This number is growing each year.
Frequency
Ongoing event with Weekly training which runs to the normal cricket calendar.
It will continue indefinitely.