Community cricket receives $35m boost

Community cricket has been given a shot in the arm with Cricket Australia announcing a $35 million investment across the next three years.

The investment will seek to cater for the shortfall in both quality and quantity of facilities across Australia, as well as improve the resources and supports available to existing clubs.

The money will target six key areas for the grassroots of the sport, including new facilities and additional support networks for club volunteers, as well as helping to grow 'all girls' competitions and teams and improving the number and quality of cricket coaches working in the community.

A new financial model will also see clubs rewarded for running the Woolworths Cricket Blast program for junior cricket, while investments in technology will help reduce the administrative burden on club and association volunteers.

Belinda Clark, the former World Cup-winning Australian Women's Cricket Team captain and CA's Executive General Manager of Community Cricket, said the investment would support the governing body's vision "to create the best participation experiences with a focus on growing junior cricket".

"Last year we conducted our first national audit of community cricket facilities assessing 7,100 ovals, 3,500 practice facilities and 3,000 changerooms," said Clark.

"The results of this audit suggest that based on population growth and cricket participation trends, 1,400 additional ovals are required nationwide over the next decade to provide communities with appropriate playing facilities.

"An extra 270 community cricket facility projects will be targeted annually over the next three years thanks to the additional funding.

"With the continued roll out of new and exciting game formats for juniors, the launch of the new Woolworths Cricket Blast Program and record numbers of girls signing up to play cricket, it's a very exciting time for our game."

The Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund will receive an additional $12.75 million that will triple the number of community-based facility projects CA funds, with the support of the Australian Government, State and Territory governments, local councils, schools and clubs.

CA will employ an additional 58 community-facing workers across the country to address demand in growth areas and provide more support to the volunteers who run clubs and competitions.

Clubs will directly benefit financially from signing up junior cricket participants, with a "significant percentage" of every registration fee for the Woolworths Cricket Blast to go back to the clubs.

Last summer's successful pilot program to provide free community coaching courses will continue this summer with a $500,000 investment. The inaugural program saw the number of participants in coaching courses double.