World Cup, Ashes to inspire more than hope

As Australia's men's and women's teams eye the hefty purses and prestigious trophies up for grabs during this British summer, the longer-term value of their on-field success has been starkly illustrated by the annual audit of the game's health at home.

With the men's outfit having qualified for semi-finals in their defence of the quadrennial ICC World Cup, the Australian Cricket Census released today shows a significant increase in participation across most demographics since they last lifted the trophy in 2015.

Total participation (a 'participant' is defined as someone who takes part in at least four sessions of a formal cricket program during a season) has risen almost 26 per cent from 1,311,184 to 1,650,030 in the past four years.

But across that span, the most marked change has come from participation in cricket among women and girls.

Since 2015-16 it has grown more than 57 per cent to account for 30 per cent of total participation – up from 24 per cent - and in the past year, the number of registered female participants has risen from 60,009 to 68,622 (a spike of 14 per cent).

In addition, the number of participants engaged in school programs since 2015-16 has increased by almost 43 per cent, with large increases also among multicultural (56 per cent), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (87 per cent) and participants with a disability (55 per cent).

"Female participation has continued to grow in line with cricket’s long-term goal to be Australia’s leading sport for women and girls," said Kieran McMillan, Cricket Australia's Acting Executive General Manager of Community Cricket.

"With a world champion national team, and an action-packed and standalone Women’s Big Bash League and T20 World Cup coming up this summer, the opportunity to inspire the next generation of girls is huge.

Image Id: A0FD013251794A6795C4CB7E41CBABC0 Image Caption: The WBBL has helped increase girls participation // Getty

"It is extremely encouraging to see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders embrace the game in greater numbers, with cricket growing exponentially in Indigenous communities since 2013.

“(Also), 293,290 multicultural players and 27,183 people living with a disability have made cricket as a sport of choice as the game broadens its focus on engagement, participation and positive social outcomes."

The current scheduling that sees a bulk of the nation's best professional cricketers competing or preparing in the UK offers a rare opportunity to further leverage the game's profile and appeal.

The national men's team are eyeing an unprecedented sixth World Cup triumph as well as their first Ashes series win in the UK for almost 20 years, and the women's team will begin their Ashes defence against England on Tuesday.

That upsurge in winter exposure is expected to translate into even greater numbers of participants, particularly those of school age, taking up the sport in coming months having been inspired by the exploits of Aaron Finch, Meg Lanning, Tim Paine and their players.

In 2015, the previous occasion the men's World Cup and men's and women's Ashes series in the UK fell within the same year, the total number of players registered at club and community level in Australia grew from 414,000 (in 2014-15) to 455,000.

However, within two years that number had dropped to 435,000 and the most recent census confirmed an overall decline of eight per cent in club and community participants since 2015-16.

Consequently, the challenge is to engage and retain a greater proportion of those drawn to cricket through current and imminent exploits in the UK.

"We do tend to see a registered player spike off the back of World Cup and Ashes, particularly Ashes in England," Cricket Australia's Head of Participation and Programs Stuart Whiley said.

Image Id: 644507CFB41946C5B1927148FA5B77A6 Image Caption: Indigenous participation has increased by 87 per cent since 2015 // Getty

"It's a bit of a boost every four years, but we need to get ready across Australian cricket to maximise the interest that seems likely to flow from an almost perfect storm of a World Cup and men's and women's Ashes in England within the space of a few months."

The deeds of the men's and women's teams currently in the UK will play a pivotal part in the initial phase of that ambition.

As the peak national sports body, Sports Australia, noted in the 'Sport 2030' strategic plan released last year, the success and profile of elite-level sporting competitions and athletes is central to driving increased grassroots engagement.

In outlining Australia's sporting ambitions for coming decades, that report highlighted the importance of top-level sport's capacity to produce "role models who motivate and inspire children and adults to be active and play sport".

However, as Australian cricket's club and community officials and volunteers understand only too well, there are numerous associated issues to be tackled before that rise in interest translates to a visible and sustained presence in registered competitions.

Among the initiatives being explored by CA are means by which volunteering at clubs can be streamlined, whether through increased use of digital technology to support scoring and coaching, by deploying more field staff to assist clubs, or improvements to coaching programs and facilities.

"We do see those big-ticket items like World Cup and the Ashes help us get more and more kids involved the schoolyard, which is important for us and for the kids who are engaging in physical activity," Whiley said.

Image Id: 78CBE4C8A6364021A9C7C3AEF5E2FA6E Image Caption: Research has underlined the importance of elite players to participation levels // Getty

"But we need to address the drop-off in registered player numbers so that's why we're investing more money in a range of areas so that kids, their parents and volunteers enjoy a better time when they engage.

"It's about addressing all those things so, when we get the spike that we should get in the next 12 to 18 months, retention of players is much higher because the quality of the experience is much greater.

"What we are really focused on now is how we build on this increased number of kids that are having a good experience through schools and community groups by playing cricket, and then getting them to go on and play at a club."

The 18th iteration of the National Cricket Survey has shown encouraging growth among key participation sectors during a four-year span when the men's team have won a World Cup and Ashes series (in Australia) and the women's team are reigning World T20 champions and have dominated in short and long-form cricket.

But that growth also places additional pressure on facilities and resources, and that challenge is being addressed by the recent establishment of a Grassroots Cricket Fund.

The Fund is a partnership between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association that was created as part of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding and will contribute up to $30 million through to 2022-23.

More than $1.8 million from Australia’s professional men's and women's cricketers was invested into facilities and equipment grants for grassroots cricket organisations during the recently completed 2018-19 season.

In total, 469 community cricket clubs received assistance through the Fund with $1 million provided to upgrade or maintain playing and training facilities at 140 clubs Australia-wide.

And $2,500 equipment grants were delivered to 329 clubs in regional communities that have been affected by recent devastating droughts.

Over the past year, an extra 70 staff have also been employed by the state associations in direct community-facing roles across Australia with the Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund providing assistance to 240 community cricket facilities.

CA and its State and Territory Associations are also aiming to invest a further $300 million in community cricket between now and 2022, an increase of $100 million from the previous five-year period.

The increased investment in infrastructure, equipment and grassroots personnel is an essential element in addressing the drop in club cricket participation, which fell 3.6 per cent in the past year.

While declining participation in organised sport reflects a global trend as people increasingly seek greater flexibility in their physical activity programs, as seen in the growth of individual pursuits and gym memberships, other steps are being taken to tackle the downturn in cricket.

Image Id: BDC82920E5594254A644B336101A3F33 Image Caption: New formats are helping to encourage young cricketers // Getty

"The introduction of new junior formats and a refreshed entry level program – Woolworths Cricket Blast – is in response to changing expectations of kids and parents and within an increasingly competitive landscape of recreation options," McMillan said.

“The environments for kids to learn and develop confidence need to be fun, inclusive and action-packed. 

"We feel we’ve now got an offering that is based on sound research and will enable Australian cricket to strengthen its junior playing base and inspire more kids to join and stay in our game. 

“The connection with the Big Bash League and Women's BBL is also important so that there is a direct link between the colour and excitement of our popular domestic T20 leagues and the experiences at the local club.

“With over 2,800 Woolworths Cricket Blast centres and 80 per cent of the 227 junior associations around the country offering modified formats, we have a strong platform for future growth."