Grassroots Cricket Clubs Debate
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Preet Kaur Gill
Main Page: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)Department Debates - View all Preet Kaur Gill's debates with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Grassroots Cricket Clubs
Preet Kaur Gill Excerpts(1 day, 9 hours ago)
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Andrew Lewin
Of course, Mr Turner, but I hope we can make an exception for a teammate. I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. I have played at some of the clubs that do so much for his community. I know that that is true of many hon. Members who will take part in the debate. As for future call-ups, there are still three test matches to go.
I want to thank Welwyn Garden City cricket club in my constituency. This August, I played a small part in helping to organise a tournament to raise money for two brain tumour charities. The driving force behind the day was Connor Emerton, the club captain, whose brother Shay was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged just 24. Shay and Connor both played on the day, and £10,000 was raised for brain tumour charities. That epitomised the best of a grassroots cricket club: a community coming together, enjoying an English summer’s day and raising money for an exceptionally important cause.
Grassroots cricket is in good shape: 2.5 million played the game in some form last year, and 216,000 fixtures were recorded across England and Wales, which is the first time the amateur game has surpassed the 200,000 mark in a single calendar year.
Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this important debate. The Co-operative party, which I chair in Parliament, believes that community ownership and local control really matter. Does he agree that stronger protections for grassroots cricket organisations such as Harborne cricket club in my constituency, and greater support for communities to safeguard and run their own facilities, are essential if we are serious about community support?
Andrew Lewin
I strongly agree, and will talk a little more about the protections we can offer clubs and what more we can do to build and establish clubs of the future.
Cricket clubs set a new record for participation in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s All Stars and Dynamos youth programmes this year, with more than 105,000 children signing up, including a record number of girls taking up the game. Just short of 3,000 girls’ teams played fixtures this summer—another double-digit percentage increase on the previous year.