Sussex Community Cricket Coach Posts Secured
Sussex Cricket Board has employed 5 Community Cricket coaches on 18 hours per week since April 2005.
Four of the posts are geographically spread across Sussex, with the addition of a specific Women and Girls post.
The impact of these posts has been tremendous. The coaches have coached over 30,000 children between them in 2 ½ years as well as adding considerably to the quality of coaching that takes place at School, Club and Area level.
50% of the funding for this scheme came from the Sport England Community Sports Coach scheme, which was for 3 years from April 2005.
With no decision as to the continuation of this scheme past this date, Sussex Cricket Board was facing the prospect of not being able to continue with the posts.
However their future has been secured, and in fact enhanced, thanks to support from the Spen Cama Cricket Foundation (SCCF).
The Foundation offered the Sussex Cricket Board £100,000 over 3 years from 2008, if the Cricket Board was able to secure match funding from the National Sports Foundation. The SCCF funding is to come from the £300,000 pledged to recreational cricket in Sussex in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
The Cricket Board’s application to the National Sports Foundation was successful which has enabled the Cricket Board to increase the Community Coach Posts from 18 to 30 hours per week from April 2008.