Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter Edition 2, September 2017
Welcome Welcome to the second edition of the Cricket Scotland Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter for September 2017. As you will see in the following pages a huge amount of progress has been made over the past two years and even more exciting initiatives and other activities are planned for the future as we seek to move to the next level of achievement! This successs is as a result of a huge amount of work by many people throughout ther cricket community in Scotland and I am very grateful to all of them. Enjoy reading about all this progress and we hope for your support as we move forward even further on this very important agenda. Kind regards Tony Brian Chair, Cricket Scotland and Chair of its Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group 2
2017 so far. Read all about the fantastic progress being made as we aim to make cricket the most diverse sport in Scotland! EDIAG Update It has been a busy period again for the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Group, as they help drive forward improvements in this area in conjunction with Cricket Scotland professional staff. The group has been expanded to include Cricket Scotland Female Participation Manager, Nicola Wilson, who is an excellent addition to the group. If you are interested in contributing to this area of Scottish cricket please don`t hestitate to get in touch as we are always looking for good people to join us! The committee are proud to report on the progress that has been made against the Action Plan that was started in 2015. From a position of a RAG rating of 13 green, 9 amber and 14 red indicators across key areas in 2015, we can now report 26 green, 9 amber and 1 red rating on the current action plan. This has been tremendous progress and underlines the commitment to improvements. With this progress we will be producing a new Action Plan to cover the next 18 months as we head towards `Intermediate` level on the Equality Framework. Community Engagement Coordinator - Glasgow As previously outlined in our last EDI Newsletter, we can now confirm the appointment of Ammar Ashraf as our new Community Engagement Coordinator for Glasgow! This exciting position is in conjunction with key partners Lord`s Taverners and Glasgow Caledonian University. The role will work across a range of partners in the Glasgow region with a specific focus on disadvantaged and BME communities. We know Ammar is the perfect person to lead this work as we create a more inclusive and diverse sport that has a positive impact on local communities. 3
Disability Training Workshop Cricket Scotland are holding a `Disability Cricket Workshop` on Saturday 30 th September, 10am- 3pm at North Inch Community Campus in Perth. The workshop is aimed at anyone interested in disability cricket and helping to facilitate the new disability cricket opportunities that will become available very soon. To register for his free course, please contact Ian Sandbrook iansandbrook@cricketscotland.com Disability `Hubs` Planned As part of our Disability Strategy, and with support from Lord`s Taverners, Cricket Scotland will be launching their disability hubs in the autumn. These will be fantastic opportunities that will be open to all and provide a fun cricketing experience for those involved. Look out for further information on how to register for these centres or contact Ian Sandbrook iansandbrook@cricketscotland.com for further information. Livingston CC contract first Female as Overseas Player This season Livingston CC took the fantastic step to be the first club in Scotland to contract a female as their overseas professional. Australian Hannah Short was contracted by the club and played in the club 1 st XI in ESCA Division 2. Not only did Hannah contribute strongly to the first team she was also contracted for her coaching. She was instrumental in helping coach the growing junior section at Livingston CC and also in starting to develop women`s and girls` cricket at the club. To demonstrate what a forward thinking approach this has been, SkySports visited the club to film a piece on Hannah that was shown on Sky during their Women`s Kia Super League coverage. This was a fantastic advertisement for the women`s game and for Livingston CC as a club. Well done to all involved and we hope this continues to pave the way for future growth in the female game. Exciting Developments in Female Cricket Things continue to move quickly in the women`s game as we target it as a growth area. There have been some key structural changes that have taken place in club cricket to create better playing opportunities at different levels that we hope will also encourage more teams and better experiences for those involved. Cricket Deal Direct Premier League 4
This is the premier, competitive club competition made up of 4 teams and played in a 30 over format. The aim is to ensure the top club players in the country are playing regular, competitive cricket against each other. There are also some exciting developments for the women`s game in the pipeline that will be highlighted later in the newsletter. Women`s Development League New competition that has been introduced as an 8 a-side, T20 league that allow clubs to ease people into semi-competitive cricket. We also hope this will encourage more clubs to start female teams with the reduced barriers to entry and the emphasis on fun. Edinburgh South with their first ever women`s team! Beyond Boundaries Women`s Scottish Cup A new sponsor and new tournament format for the Scottish Cup. After preliminary rounds, there will be a tournament on September 9th to celebrate and showcase women`s cricket and find the Scottish Cup winners. 5
What`s coming up... There`s plenty more exciting developments underway that we hope will have a positive impact on the sport. New EDIAG Action Plan and Intermediate Level on the Equality Framework As alluded to earlier in the newsletter, we are currently rewriting our new EDIAG Action Plan to guide our progress towards `Intermediate` level on the Equality Framework. The Action Plan will continue to cover all the key areas as we aim to become the most diverse sport in Scotland. The focus of the `Intermediate` level accreditation is around data collection, equality impact assessment, and the suitability and delivery of the action plan. `Wicketz` Project delivery in North Glasgow One of the first activities to be delivered by the Community Engagement Coordinator will be to establish a cricket project in a disadvantaged area of North Glasgow. The `Wicketz` project will involve schools coaching, creating a community cricket hub for youngsters to attend year-round, and providing personal development opportunities that has a positive impact on their lives and the local community. This is an exciting development and keep an eye out for more information as this gets underway. CricHIIT and Women`s Softball Cricket Pilots The emphasis on developing the female game is gathering pace. Cricket Scotland will be delivering some pilots of `CricHIIT` (fitness based cricket programme) and `Women`s Softball Cricket Festivals` over the coming months as we create expanded opportunities and a `modified` pathway for female cricket. These programmes are based on research into women`s sport participation and the outcomes they are looking for. Cricket as a sport has to adapt to meet the customers and we believe these are two excellent steps in the right direction. Key an eye out for more info in the coming months. First CricHIIT pilot in Perth
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