For anyone looking in on today’s CWB project team it may very well have looked like any other day, the majority of the team boarded the bus as normal for the usual whirlwind tour of primary and secondary schools. Tried and tested 90 minute sessions of laughter, dancing, discussions around social issues and of course at the centre cricket, or at least the beginnings of cricket with catching games, batting stations and target bowling (extra point for keeping a straight arm).
At the other side of Gulu, a town in the northern part of Uganda I was once again at the university campus for a third day of coach education. Training new coaches has always been a core part of the work of Cricket Without Boundaries, we know that our 2-week volunteer led projects can only be the start of any sustainable work.
CWB projects work best to start a passion for cricket in a region and to train local teachers and sports coaches to deliver cricket in a fun and engaging way while also trying to use the game for social inclusion. We have seen many times the impact a handful of passionate local coaches can have.
Today’s coach education though was different as the 18 participants received an ICC Level 1 accredited qualification. For many years we have hoped to be able to run globally accredited courses as they bring several benefits, from standardising our delivery to providing a structured pathway for coaches to develop and perhaps more importantly for the employment opportunities that such qualifications can provide. With the launch of the ICC Level 1 earlier this year and the support of the team at ICC Europe for our existing coach developers to be orientated as ICC tutors, this ambition is now a reality.
This time around the employment opportunities for several of the coaches are instant as thanks to generous funding from our partners at the MCC Foundation they will be employed over the next 12 months to take cricket weekly into the 8 schools we have worked with on this trip. Free for all community sessions will also be held on the weekend with more of these planned for the school holidays, forming Hubs in each location.
With further support from the Uganda Cricket Association and additional funding from MCCF going in to creating competitive inter-school cricket leading up to a North Uganda regional tournament, hopes are high for a real surge in cricket and all its associated benefits in Gulu, Lira and Masindi.
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