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• The Sussex Cricket Board see five main strands in their Development Plan
• SCHOOLS CRICKET
• 415 PRIMARY SCHOOLS
• 80 SECONDARY SCHOOLS and 8 SPECIALIST SPORTS COLLEGES
• CLUB CRICKET
• 235 AFFILIATED CLUBS
•  104 WITH JUNIOR SECTIONS
•   15 CLUBS WITH GIRLS SECTIONS
•  * 40 CLUBS REGISTERED WITH CLUB MARK *
•     7 CLUBS FULLY ECB ACCREDITATED
• AREA CRICKET
• AREA SQUADS BOYS 10-15
• AREA SQUADS GIRLS 11,13,15
• REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET
• BOYS 10-17
• GIRLS 11,13,15,17
• * The 40 Clubs have been identified as FOCUS CLUBS by the Board and they were invited to the meeting with the ECB officials.
• "This is a new area of development for the Sussex County Cricket Board and naturally carries it with concerns. There is a shared belief that helping Clubs to establish quality will only enhance cricket in the County and deliver the SCB Development Plan. " Extract from Focus Clubs Discussion Paper.
• WHAT IS A FOCUS CLUB ?
• The ECB Strategy for Cricket sees the development of Clubs as a key element of a development plan for Sussex
• The National Strategy can be found at hhtp://static.ecb.co.uk/files/national-strategy-seven-steps-club-40.pdf
• The overall aim for Club development is " To ensure that every person, including players of all levels of experience and ability, has the opportunity to play and become involved in the game in a fully structured , organised and resourced Club environment"
• What then is a FOCUS CLUB?
• The ECB Development Department , through the 40 County Boards, has identified 1,365 Clubs throughout England and Wales with which it will work more closely in order to help them develop over the next three years.
• These Clubs are the ones best placed to deliver the ECB objectives for Club cricket.
• The Sussex County Cricket Board therefore decided to prioritise its efforts initially identifying Clubs which the Board felt it could best work with
• The list of Sussex Focus Clubs is not, at this moment in time forthcoming from the Board, but it is understood that they will be drawn form those Clubs who already have a good track record working with youth cricket.
• The model being used is as follows : There would be clusters of Primary and Secondary Schools supported by Specialist Sports Colleges who would be funded from the Local Education Authority and linked to Clubs through the Specialist College . The District Development Group would relate to the Focus Club
• The ECB gained £9.4 million from the Government's Community Club Development Programme . It is being spent on a small number of FOCUS CLUBS instead of being spread thinly across many cricket Clubs.
• It is felt that in time this approach will make a real difference to the youth cricket scene.
• It is to be believed that three Sussex Clubs have been granted Conditional Awards under this scheme . It is hoped to verify this and to establish how much money will actually be received by each of the three Clubs.
• PART THREE
• WHY ARE FOCUS CLUBS IMPORTANT TO S.C.B. ?
• The focus club will
  A. assist in a viable cricket infrastructure that links with SCHOOLS and provides appropriate support for identifying and developing talented individuals and meets the needs of local comnmunities
  B. increase club membership levels among young people in ALL clubs and to support development of quality assured JUNIOR SECTIONS of clubs
  C. increase club membership among WOMEN/BLACK and OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS/PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
  C. Focus Clubs will catalyse cricket development in all Clubs
• WHAT ARE S.C.B. AIMS FOR NON-FOCUS CLUB DEVELOPMENT?
• A. To further enjoyment of game
  B. To encourage clubs to link with FOCUS CLUBS
  C. To encourage clubs to offer high quality structured coaching and competitive opportunities for all playing members
  D. To develop the appropriate structure to raise the standard and profile of club cricket and to enable club cricketers to fulfil their potential.
  E. To encourage and assist cricket clubs to help themselves. Encouraging them to develop and utilise their own human and financial resources to achieve their long term goals and through this to increase the energy and enthusiasm such that all will benefit.
• WEB MASTERS COMMENTS
  At the risk of appearing cynical I cannot distinguish between the aims of the Sussex County Cricket Board for Focus Clubs and non-Focus Clubs. If one reads into the jargon the aims appear the same and the delivery of the programme appears to be the same.
  However it would appear that - with the carrot of MONEY dangling in front of the FOCUS CLUBS they are required to add additional levels of bureaucracy to their Club activity and are required to act on behalf of the Board to be involved with all and sundry in the local community.
• Experience of Club cricket development over many years suggests that it is the ever changing PARENT body which drives the youth cricket scene. There are very few individuals in Clubs who have maintained a development drive and enthusiasm over a period of 6 years- the average Club life of a young cricketer.
• One knows that at National level the England Wales Cricket Board are required to submit very detailed plans when seeking financial support and this perfectly acceptable requirement at National level seems to be cascading down to the lowest level of youth cricket administration.
• The term NANNY STATE comes to mind in describing what appears to be CENTRALISATION of youth cricket administration.
• HOW DOES THE FOCUS CLUB BENEFIT ?
• QUOTE - The Focus Club scheme allows Focus Clubs to realise their desire , through the support of the County Board and the Partnership working that it encourages.
  Focus clubs will GAIN priority treatment with regards to
  a. improved communication
  b. help with access to resources
  c. advice on volunteering opportunities - grant aid; equipment;coaching;talent identification and progression ; match play; administration; child welfare and any other areas of Club development that will ultimately increase participation and improve standards.
• The role model being used is as follows.
• FOCUS CLUB -Development planning/Links with Local partners/suport for talented players/coach training and support/volunteer recruitment/sources of funding/groundmanship/Club Mark accreditation/Links with Local schools/setting up a girls section/Developingp layers/umpire and scorer training support
• PART FOUR
• HOW DOES THE CLUB BENEFIT?
• Focus Clubs will gain priority treatment with regards to
  a. Improved communication
  b. help with access to resources
  c. advice on volunteering opportunities
  d. advice on grant aid
  d. advice on equipment
  e. advice on coaching
  f. advice on talent identification
  g. advice on match play
  h. advice on administration
  i. advice on child welfare
  j. advice on any other areas of club development that will ultimately increase participationand improve standards.
• Webmaster observations
  The list of benefits to a Focus Club appears to be exactly the same list of requirements as that of any Club seeking help from the Sussex County Board and through it the- Cricket Development Office.
  Is the implication of the list of benefits for a Focus Club that any non-Focus Club seeking help will not receive it ?
• RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR THE CLUB
• What funds are available?
  This question-(Web master comment- on the lips of every volunteer youth cricket administrator) misses the point .
• THE SCHEME IS NOT ABOUT MONEY - IT IS ABOUT GOOD PRACTICE AND QUALITY. HOWEVER RESOURCES INCLUDING FUNDS ARE LIKELY TO BECOME AVAILABLE FOR CLUBS ONCE THEY START TO DEMONSTRATE THAT , WITHIN THE COUNTY, THEY ARE LEADERS IN CRICKET DEVELOPMENT.
  WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CLUB ACCORDING TO THE SUSSEX COUNTY CRICKET BOARD?
• FOCUS CLUBS WIL BE REQUIRED TO
• Gain Clubmark accreditation
  Ensure that non Focus Clubs work with Focus Clubs to develop
  Work together with their Area Development Group to produce and implement a comprehensive development plan.
  Produce development plans to facilitate professionalism
  Actively recruit players
  Access funding to set up schemes
  Create a high quality , safe child friendly environment
  Make their clubs more accessible to children- particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds
  Breakdown barriers to the participation of girls, minority ethnic groups and disabled children
  Increase awareness of ECB and other , local and national initiatives and the contributions they can make to the government's wider sporting agenda
  Consider the appointment of Cricket Development Managers in order to boost Club development and facilitate communication with County Boards and the ECB
  WEB MASTER OBSERVATION
  Is the person or persons who compiled this document in touch with reality ?
  Of course all Clubs will want to create a safe child friendly environment and the response County wide to undertake Criminal Record Bureau checks has been very well supported in Sussex but much of the list that a Focus Club will be required to do is so far removed from the simple intent of the active youth cricket vlounteer.
  The feeling is coming across that the buck is being passed onwards and downwards from the ECB through the SCB to the lower levels. It is as if a drawbridge is being pulled up and the Boards are hiding behind it with an I am alright Jack mentality. Why is all this bureaucracy required in order that a very part time Club volunteer can obtain help from the full time professionals ?
• PART FIVE
• Clubs eligible for this scheme in Sussex must demonstrate that they embrace the following :
• 1.COMPLIANCE WITH ECB'S WELFARE OF YOUNG CHILDREN POLICY AND PROCEDURES including the nomination and attendance of people at relevant training courses and the appointment of a Club Welfare Officer
• 2. The appointment of a Club Volunteer Co-ordinator and a club volunteer management plan that includes
  The maintenance of Club membership records to reflect all types of membership - playing/social/junior/parent etc
  Records to include skills/availability etc
  A volunteer management plan that shows succession planning and the development / sustaining of members' skills
  Job descriptions on all volunteer posts within the Club , including an agreement to pay appropriate expenses
  The recruitment of new volunteers
  Recognition of the work/achievements of existing volunteers
  Volunteer reward schemes
  Links through the ECB National Volunteer plan to local volunteer bureaus
• 3 Financial management - including independently examined or audited accounts
  Forecast of income and expenditure for the next 12 month period.
• 4 The club should have an open constitution
• 5 The Club should have policies covering the following aspects
  Equity
  Health and Safety
  Codes of conduct - players/members/spectators etc
• 6 Security of tenure - the Club should have a minimum security of tenure of 5 years.
• 7. The Club should have insurance to cover all of its activities , buildings, contents, equipment etc.
• 8. Clubs will be expected to also liaise with local partners , in particular with Local Authorities (LAs) and Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs)
  The Sussex Board paper goes on to say
  Clearly Area Development Groups -in Sussex - East/North/South/West - and the Area Development Officers - Nick Wilton and Andrew Winstone - are vital if the Focus Club process is to be a success. Therefore a period of training is required to bring all Areas up to the same level of understanding. It is crucial therefore that the concept is introduced in a sensitive way.
• In the first instance it is proposed that the Sussex Cricket Board run 4 workshops - one per Area - for the Area District Officers only. These should then be replicated by the ADO with their ADGs.
• The aim of the workshops would be to communicate the concept, how it works, why Clubs should be encouraged to get involved and what the next steps are.
  Ideally these workshops should be completed by the end of the season.
  Web master comment - request of established dates and meeting places is to be made and info posted on this site
• ONE'S THOUGHTS ON FOCUS CLUBS AS AT 20/02/05
  
• The Sussex Cricket Board paper concludes that "there is general agreement that the term FOCUS CLUB will be misunderstood. Some options to consider for the naming of Focus Clubs in Sussex
  DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT CLUB/ DYNAMIC CLUB/DISTRICT HOT CLUB/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CLUB/PARTNERSHIP CLUB
  Comment
  It does not appear to be an easy task to put a name to the Focus club. Whatever happens the words will be reduced to letters. We all understand that C.C. means Cricket Club. Why give a dog another name? Is the entire proposal in fact too gimmicky for the benefit of Sussex youth ?
• Web master comments
  1. Not convinced that the programme as devised is supportive - feel that it may well be devisive to the benefit of those who have to the detriment of those who have not.
  It is understood that of the £9.4 million which was constantly being mentioned at the Sussex roadshows three years ago just three Clubs ANSTY/EAST GRINSTEAD and HORSHAM may have benefited by receiving a CONDITIONAL AWARD ( Enquiries by this site in respect of this award has not yet proved frutiful).
  The three Clubs are amongst the upper echelons of youth Clubs in Sussex and who may already have a great deal more than many other Clubs in the County.
• 2. But as the S.C.B. reminds the reader THE SCHEME IS NOT ABOUT MONEY - IT IS ABOUT GOOD PRACTICE AND QUALITY. HOWEVER RESOURCES INCLUDING FUNDS ARE LIKELY TO BECOME AVAILABLE FOR CLUBS ONCE THEY START TO DEMONSTRATE THAT , WITHIN THE COUNTY, THEY ARE LEADERS IN CRICKET DEVELOPMENT.
  Recent articles in both the Times and the Telegraph would suggest that one should take the author of the Board's paper to task. For the volunteer in the Club it would most definitely appear to be about money.
  Brighton and Hove CC have fought for years desperately seeking assistance in their quest to remove the burden of local rates on the Club. Initially fighting a lone battle some progress has eventually been made.
  A report- presented to the the ECB strategic meeting held last week- is reported to conclude that there has been serious neglect in the recreational sector to the benefit of the professional game. The system does not allow recreational cricket to challenge the First Class forum and it is believed that of the £68,000,000 earnt by the ECB in 2003 only 4% went to the recreational game. The First Class Clubs are swallowing 90% of the total income.
• In financial terms the sceptics have every right to doubt the Focus Club programme.
• There are quality recommendations couched within the SCB paper.
  The Clubmark programme which seeks Clubs to inwardly look at themselves and create an establishment acceptable to the child/parent and local community will bring about a better environment for all concerned at the inidividual Club. BUT there seems to be unsurmountable hills to climb in the expectation of a FOCUS CLUB developing other Clubs in its vicinity.
  A cynic - and theWeb master may well be one- would suggest that any big fish is going to swallow up a minnow
  One only has to look at how the large Clubs - some of them pot hunting- have taken on roll players from nearby clubs.
  This is very noticeable after the Area Festivals when some players have been seen to move Clubs.
  It has also been very noticeable over the years just prior to the Sussex Junior Cricket Festivals.
• Introduce a ruling that no player may move Clubs until he reaches the age of 16. So often small Clubs develop players only for them to move to bigger Clubs during their formative years.
  It is understood that some Clubs cannot provide players with cricket at each age group and thus a player could be attached to a " mother Club" for specific times in his career. The problem with this concept which was proposed at the inauguration of the Sussex Premier Under 14 Youth competition 2004 ( a failed venture) is that Clubs did not want to take on "loan" members of other Clubs.
  There are too many doubts in one's mind about the S.C.B. paper.
  Has the Board really thought this through or have they passed onwards and downwards the entire thing from the E.C.B ? There may well be a feeling of a descriptive rather than supportive attitude being portrayed by the SCB.
• We await the development with interest and really do hope that it succeeds as construed but ....
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