YCF’s vital participation work with young people, including Pop Up Cricket given boost in renewed charity partnership

The extended partnership will help boost the impact of the participation work carried out by YCF with a focus on two vital initiatives that make a difference to young people – Pop Up Cricket and Enjoy Cricket programmes.

Pop Up Cricket are accessible and fun cricket sessions that take the sport into low socio-economic or remote areas of Yorkshire where YCF community coaches lead sessions and create opportunities for young people and using cricket as a tool to drive social change.

Meanwhile Enjoy Cricket supports Yorkshire-based cricket clubs, schools and community centres with funding to run their own courses to develop and introduce cricket in their local community.

These popular courses are low-cost options for children, aged seven and older, who may not have been given the opportunity to have fun with cricket.

Kendal James, the Participation Manager, for the YCF, said: “We are absolutely delighted to extend our charity partnership with YCCC Charitable Youth Trust.

“Charitable Youth Trust is a valuable charity that makes a huge difference, and the two-year extension will help us reach even more young people in the community.

“For example, through our Enjoy Cricket programme our vision is that families most in need, in the areas we identify are supported through cricket, each school holiday.

“We are very thrilled to be working with the Trust again and this partnership is absolutely integral to increasing the impact of our charity work.”

Peter Whiteley, a trustee, for the YCCC Charitable Youth Trust, said: “We are very excited about the extension of our programmes with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation.

“We have an excellent working relationship and increasingly common goals. We aim to engage as many youngsters as possible in cricketing activity and to get them to understand the value of physical activity, friendship and fun in their lives.

“We are particularly pleased with the Foundation's access to communities where there are limited opportunities available and their ability to sign post these young people to more established cricket clubs who will encourage a life-long love of a team sport that so many people in Yorkshire love."

The renewed partnership comes after the YCF helped reach more than 9,000 young people last year across Yorkshire through the Pop Up Cricket and Enjoy Cricket initiatives.

Jake Littleton, a Community Activator for the YCF whose role is supported by CYT, said: “We’re pleased to be able to continue to support young people through these programmes.

“Increases in energy prices and the aftermath of the pandemic means low-cost, accessible participation programmes like these are needed now more than ever.

“We aim to make cricket more available for those who may not be able to afford or access grassroots cricket.”