Get The Game On is a new national ECB initiative designed to arrest a recent fall in the number of people playing cricket.
The scheme encourages everyone involved in the game to work together to make sure more games are played and lower the number of cancellations and conceded matches.
For more information click here and watch the video.
The Stats…
In the past season there has been a 7% reduction in number of players and a reduction of 13% in completed matches. Over the past 4 seasons there has been a 63% increase in the number of conceded fixtures.
Why has this problem arisen?
There a large number of reasons behind the drop in players from people living increasingly busy lives to a rise in games lost to the weather.
The ECB’s National Playing Survey highlighted that travel times, length of day and the format played all have an impact.
What can we do about it?
Our leagues have already started to address this with the restructure that will be in place from 2016 but there are a lot of other things we can all so. At the very least you can inspire others and make a real difference by getting out and getting the game on.
When captains, coaches, clubs, groundsmen, leagues, players and umpires work together to get the game on, everyone wins. Putting heads together to find a way to play means that we can be more flexible and inventive when it comes to the format of the game and when we choose to play.
Having the right equipment and skills to care for a ground when the weather won’t play ball is another crucial factor. For example, good quality covers can make a huge difference (see below for more details).
How will this help?
Very simply, the more games that are played the more likely players tare to choose cricket rather than make alternative plans. Cancellations and conceded games cause huge frustration for everyone involved and are a major factor that put people off committing to play regularly.
More cricket equals more revenue for clubs through their bar, a better social experience for playing and non-playing members and a chance for players to develop and improve.
What is the Somerset Cricket Board doing to help?
The SCB will be supporting the ECB in rolling out its Get The Game On initiative in Somerset.
We will be running our first ever Club Support Semiar in March 2016 to better support our clubs.
And we also chose 11 clubs to be the beneficiaries of the 2015 ECB Small Grant Scheme who used the funding to buy new covers and wet weather equipment as this directly effects the amount of cricket that can be played.
