Imagine one million cricket players in the US by the time Los Angeles hosts its third summer Olympic Games in 2028! This is a target the US cricket has set for itself to mark 100 days of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 legacy since the final of the mega event that the US and West Indies jointly organized early this year.
Captivating the glory of the revival of cricket in the Americas, the US cricket has initiated a strong “Playground to Podium” programme to get one million school children playing the bat and ball game in the country by the time the summer Olympic Games return to Los Angeles for the third time in the history.
The ambitious programme opens numerous avenues for budding cricket players and those who have expertise in training and coaching new inductions with basic skills of the game.
Cricket took not only the US but also Canada by storm early this year when the World’s top teams, including the new champions India, Australia, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and South Africa, descended on the US soil to showcase some of the top batters, including Rohit Sharma, Jos Butler and Babar Azam, and the bowlers like Jaspreet Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
Till then, the Americans had New York Yankers slogger Aaron Judge as a hero batter in baseball. Now focus has started moving from baseball to cricket, especially in the younger generation of the South Asian migrant community.
It was not only a first-time host of the mega event of the latest and shortest version of cricket, but also the stunning display of its team that shocked the likes of Pakistan in the tournament that captivated the nation.
Just as important was the impact off the field in engaging the next generation and the legacy of the competition would continue to be rolled out in the coming months and years.
In a recent Press communique, the ICC held that the Playground to Podium initiative aims to ensure one million school children are playing cricket by the time the sport returns to the Olympic programme at LA 2028, and over 4500 youngsters are already participating following various activations across the summer, showcasing the importance of this year’s World Cup.
The ICC’s entry-level programme, criiio has partnered with over 200 elementary, middle and high schools to target over 4000 students and educators across Men’s T20 World Cup host locations, Dallas, New York, and Florida. Schools have incorporated criiio into their Physical Education sessions, fostering a new generation of cricket enthusiasts and integrating the sport into the youth’s sporting experience. Criiio cricket festivals have also been delivered throughout summer camps in Dallas and Florida, giving a fun, first experience to more than 500 youngsters, including participants working on their throwing, catching and ball striking skills.
Upskilling teachers to provide essential knowledge and skills to introduce and sustain cricket activities within their schools has been identified as a key area of legacy in the USA. Over 260 teachers participated in ICC criiio teacher training days where they were equipped with a comprehensive criiio curriculum and toolkits, ensuring effective delivery of cricket sessions.
The development of coaches and umpires is important to the sustainability of the game and the introduction of ICC Training and Education programmes, resulting in an increase in over 100 qualified coaches and umpires through various Level 1 and Tutor Level certification programmes.
There has also been a focus on supporting an equipment drive by DP World where cricket kits have been delivered to hundreds of aspiring cricketers, resulting in breaking down barriers to participation and ensuring all children have access to the sport.
The World Cup has also boosted the sport further across the Americas region with a series of High-Performance and Development workshops attended by representatives from the USA, Bermuda, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, and Belize. The workshops focused on key topics like high-performance ecosystems, talent identification, and team culture. Workshops were conducted by ex-cricketers Lisa Sthalekar and Robin Singh.
ICC General Manager, Development, William Glenwright said: “The success of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup legacy project in the first 100 days has exceeded our expectations, as we continue to use the event as a catalyst to deliver transformative growth in the USA – with our eyes now firmly on maintaining this momentum in partnership with USA Cricket as we head towards cricket’s Olympic return at LA 2028.
“The launch of the criiio programme in the USA has got off to a strong start with cricket rolled out in over 200 schools with more than 260 teachers trained and over 4,000 students participating in cricket for the first time. Further online and face-to-face training is being delivered to 1,700 additional teachers between now and the end of the year. Together with the hosting of various coach and umpire education courses, our focus on cricket in schools is not only introducing thousands of new kids in the USA to cricket but also improving the playing experience by enhancing the standard of coaching and umpiring in the USA and the wider Americas Region.
“We are excited to see how this progresses in collaboration with USA Cricket in making our game more accessible and encouraging more people to pick up a bat and ball and enjoy the game of cricket.”
The ambitious programme of a million cricket players also offers numerous opportunities for those who can impart training to budding players. The programme would boost the Indian sports goods industry by supplying cricket playing equipment to the Americas.