Although the name of Stanley Matthews is closely associated with football it is also the case that the Matthews family excelled across a number of sports.  Sir Stan's father, Jack Matthews, was a successful and well respected boxer while Stanley Matthews Junior was the last British Wimbledon Boys tennis champion.  The Foundation was created to help young people get involved in sport, whatever that sport may be, and we are very proud to partner with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation to help deliver a high quality cricket programme in Leeds and the surrounding areas.

 

Background

 

Yorkshire County Cricket Club is the most successful club in England and their Foundation is very well respected across Yorkshire and the U.K. as delivering top class and innovative cricket programmes to young people and adults.  We started working with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation in 2018 with an objective to train young people aged 16 - 21 years old as cricket coaches, giving them a chance to volunteer with local clubs and also to gain employment. 

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From September to December 2018 we worked with 20 new coaches, supporting them to gain their Level 1 Coach Support Worker qualification and also facilitating 6 additional workshops to enhance their knowledge, looking at topics such as confidence, leadership and social identity.  All of the coaches completed their training, volunteering 400 hours in the local community and working with 135 children, with 2 coaches moving on to do their Level 2 ECB coaching qualification and 4 people moving into employment as community coaches with either Leeds City Council, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation or the Wicketz organisation.

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From February - April 2019 another 38 coaches went through the same programme, with all 38 gaining their Level 1 Coach Support Worker qualification.  Two coaches moved into employment after the programme, with 760 hours being volunteered in local primary schools and school cricket clubs.  All of the coaches who participated were given Cricket World Cup tickets for matches at Headingly in Leeds.

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Moving Forward

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With the change of the ECB coaching pathway we have had to adjust our programme slightly.  In 2020 it is our aim to help train another 20 coaches, putting them through the ECB Foundation 1 course, a First Aid and Child Protection course and also a chance to participate in training to become qualified umpires.  Training is due to start in January 2020. 

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If you would like further information about the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation please visit their website at - https://yorkshirecricketfoundation.com/

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To find out more about how you can play cricket or get involved in coaching locally please visit https://www.ecb.co.uk/

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To keep up to date with our work with Yorkshire Cricket please follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the links above.