At one level, Sam is a new young club leader looking to harness the knowledge in this Network, to save reinventing wheels and cutting to the crux, leaning-in to the expertise that’s available on recruiting and retaining juniors* especially working with local schools. But at another, he might inspire you over the coming months to look at the internship he has designed for himself, as a sports management student wanting to put theory into practice, to see what similar resources might be available locally to you. But first the quid, then the quo!
According to the orthodoxy around ‘growth hacks’ on social media, there’s at least another week where people who so far have not become involved can make a difference in spreading the message. So please like, comment or share to help save some (perhaps,in time, many) clubs* because you may need it reciprocated one day. Given the range of interesting…..and untypical…..correspondence this week, there are signs it may be reaching its intended audiences.
Were clubs’ leasehold and rental agreement travails high on the agenda at the Recreational Game Summit 2026*? And while they appear to have been talking about you not to you, given clubs weren’t invited, you may appreciate the insights that would have emerged had the conversation on funding developed beyond county boards.
But at least clubs must have been represented on the first of the Premier League consultations on the road*, held at Headingley this week. That’s unless, of course, the Premier Leagues are now run solely by people paid from the ECB stipend. Any feedback from anyone who was there?
Discussions from last week:
- Chris Nash’s suggestion that promotion and relegation should be scrapped in the lower divisions of club cricket* in The Cricketer.
- ECB launched its latest State schools offer* this week with Cricket for Teachers and Secondary Countdown Cricket.
- It looks like it is the A team representing clubs at League meetings*.
- Pinkneys Green are thinking of investing in a Cobra*. Any advice?
*You should have no problem accessing the asterisked links above so long as you’re a member and logged on to LinkedIn. Not everyone realises we are a closed private LinkedIn group so only members can see your posts and comments in the Group and not your colleagues, clients or other LinkedIn connections.
You can also click LinkedIn group page, log-in from there and scroll through all the content including these other current discussions:
- Do you need to invest in new facilities?
- Is it time for a more effective officiating pathway?
- Network members access big club funding
- Play Cricket reliability
- Knight-Stokes cup finalist schools
- End-of-season performance review of hybrid pitches
- DIY approaches to scoping and installing square irrigation
- Holiday Activities and Food programmes
- The “Missing Middle” in junior age groups
- Robots cutting grass
- Maiden Cricket in the Dragon’s Den
- Cricket capacity requires cultural mindset shift
- Sustainability of leagues
- Over-regulation and underfunding
- Missing the business end of the season
- Festival of Disability Cricket
- Tackling Climate Change Fund
- Play Cricket data analysis
- Who or what inspired you to do what you do?
- Can clubs still be the village’s beating heart?
- Premier League review
Links to past discussions, sorted by theme and listed in chronological order, can also be found on the Members’ Portal along with a treasure trove of club development resources, signposted information and sources of support including webinar recordings and club admin product reviews.