Sky Sports and ECB partner for cricket initiative

Sky Sports has partnered with the ECB to create Dynamo Cricket Intros.

The scheme aims to promote cricket to children regardless of gender, ability, or background with a three-year investment in schools and community centres in underprivileged areas to provide courses in the game for free. It aims to target these free introductory courses in 100 towns and cities across the UK. 

There will be three sections to Dynamo Cricket Intros, which launches on 1 June. These are recruitment and training, access to free courses and the creation of fun educational videos delivered by stars of the game such as Jofra Archer and Tammy Beaumont. It will also train 300 coaches in 150 schools and 150 community centres in the country.

The initiative builds on Dynamo Cricket, which supplies eight-week courses to 8-11-year-olds with countdown cricket courses delivered in clubs and centres. It is also timed to coincide with The Hundred competition’s debut this summer.

Rob Webster, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “At Sky Sports we believe all children should have the opportunity to play cricket regardless of gender, ability or background. As a long-standing partner of the ECB we have invested in Dynamos Cricket Intros to tackle head-on some of the biggest barriers to participation. We can’t wait to work in 100 communities across the UK this summer inspiring more and more children to start playing the game that has been at the heart of Sky Sports for decades.”

Jofra Archer added: “Playing cricket is something that every child should have the chance to try, no matter their background or economic situation. Dynamos Cricket Intros is a way of opening up the playing field and ensuring that children who, due to any number of reasons, previously won’t have had the opportunity to experience the game can pick up a bat and a ball and have some fun!

“Investment at grass-roots level is key for any sport, and you never know, Dynamos Cricket Intros might just unearth a future England star…”