Facilities in focus as Cricket ACT participation surges

The organisation unveiled data for the 2022-23 summer, with growth outpacing the national average by a considerable margin.

Participation was up across almost all areas of the game as a result of a coordinated approach by Cricket ACT and the clubs.

Junior participation has grown by 24 per cent since 2020-21, well above the national rate of 2.5 per cent. Female numbers have surged since 2019-20, increasing by 68 per cent. South Australia is the next best state or territory in this area at 35 per cent.

Cricket Blast numbers are slightly down to 899, however overall participation for 5-12 year olds has grown to 2146 players.

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Cricket Australia has set ACT a target of growing Blast participants to 2000 players in the next five years.

There are fears, however, the region's capacity for continued growth could be restricted by the limited number of cricket facilities throughout the capital.

Cricket ACT has cited the shortage of venues in plans for a new Centre of Excellence and multiple clubs have expressed the challenges of juggling men, women and juniors on the city's turf wickets.

"We don't want to get ourselves into a position where we have to say to kids 'sorry you can't play'," Cricket ACT community cricket head Adrian Brunker said.

"It's absolutely a point of concern. If we double the playing population of five- to 12-year-olds in the next five years, what does that look like? It's something we need to work through internally with the clubs and collaboratively with the ACT government in providing those facilities.

"We don't know the answers to those questions but we'll look to provide growth in the game and present that to the government around the requirements of our sport."

While many states leave much of the organisational administration up to the individual clubs, Cricket ACT has stepped in to shoulder that burden and free the clubs to focus on providing a welcoming and enjoyable playing environment.

Officials feel this approach is a key reason why growth rates are higher in the territory.

The focus now is on adapting national programs, such as the "stages not ages" model to suit the ACT and ensuring the growth in boys participation can keep pace with the girls' impressive growth rate.

"We've connected organisations looking to grow the game from juniors right through to seniors and female cricket," Brunker said. "Connecting with the social activity is the most important aspect in getting kids into the game.

"That's our challenge and we've got some work to do in the Blast space. We don't shy away from it and we need to understand how to achieve that. It's a staged approach where our focus is on bringing kids into the game and providing them with a great experience."

The impressive growth numbers were not confined purely to the juniors, with participation in social cricket outside the formal clubs surging by 89 per cent since 2021-22.

Officials have identified the city's south-Asian communities as the trigger for the increase and they're eager to further tap into this demographic.

"It's largely driven by the south-Asian community, particularly playing through the winter months," Brunker said. "We're looking to collaborate more closely with that community to deliver good outcomes."

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