By Charles Randall
21 November 2014
The number of players active in recreational cricket has drifted downwards, according to major ECB research published this week.
In the absence of reliable figures the ECB have used National Playing Survey responses from 37,500 adult and over-14 youth players. These returns were combined with “player panel” research and an analysis of 1.2 million league play-cricket.com scoreboards in a computer model called Eureka.
The results suggest there was a seven per cent decrease in the total number of cricketers in teams in 2014. The ECB estimated the number to be 844,000 – down from 908,000 in 2013; males represented 93 per cent and females seven per cent, the same gender breakdown. This was a significant and worrying decline in activity from last year's inaugural survey, though the drop might have been connected with wetter Saturdays, the favoured day for 70 per cent of cricket games. Only 15 Saturdays were rated ‘dry’ in 2014 compared with 20 in 2013.
The ECB results showed that 30 per cent of recreational players were drawn from ethnic minorities, and 53 per cent of cricketers would like to play the game more often.
Further detailed analysis of the survey findings showed that in a 26-week season:
247,000 were ‘core’ players playing at least 12 weeks.
405,000 were ‘occasional’ players, between three and 11 weeks.
192,000 were ‘cameo’ players, one or two weeks.
The response in the National Playing Survey improved impressively from 21,500 to this year's 37,500, which the ECB described as “excellent”. The chief operating officer Gordon Hollins commented: “The ECB recognised the participation challenges that have been facing all team sports and we were determined to gain a greater insight into those issues and find long-term solutions.”
Hollins said that the ECB had changed the way in which they measured participation last year by introducing the National Cricket Playing Survey as part of their wider efforts to engage with grassroots cricket participation.
He added: “Thanks to an excellent response, the ECB now has a much clearer picture than ever before of who plays recreational cricket, what type of cricket they prefer to play, when they want to play it and we are now setting about finding ways in which we can best address their needs going forward.”
Hollins did not mention the Club Cricket Conference or the new National Cricket Conference, but the CCC success over the past year in engaging with ethnic Asian leagues – who play mostly on Sundays – can only help the ECB. Sport England has reduced ECB funding for cricket significantly due to the lack of definite participation figures.
The Conference mantra is to increase participation, and at the moment the National Cricket Conference and CCC are well placed to help the ECB achieve its goals within the recreational game.
Club cricket has not entirely lost its place as a 'way of life' rather than a sport, but the trend is unmistakable. Less time is spent at the ground; fewer matches are played. Family pressures and “time” are often cited as reasons for less commitment, yet one could say that this has always been the case.
The loss of cricket in state schools in the 1970s and 1980s must surely have been a catalyst of change for the worse. Playing cricket twice or three times a week at a young age, irrespective of talent, is likely to ingrain a feel for the game, access to the soul of cricket.
The thousands of children who descend on cricket clubs up and down the land to join hard-pressed youth sections proves that the game still has wide appeal. A high proportion of these children do not sample a proper game according to their skill – something independent schools, for example, arrange very well. Perversely, over-subscribed youth set-ups in clubs, usually the 10 to 14 year-old group, might even even turn players off the game through negative experiences. However hard clubs try – and they do try – they cannot give enough youth players the right feel for the game.
This analysis is a well worn theme, but it has trickled into adult attitudes, as though club cricket has become a product rather than an experience for like-minded people. The rigour of leagues and over-long matches might well be a factor. Training and standards have probably risen in many premier leagues, but whether the same vast percentage of players below the elite actually 'love' cricket is debatable.
Cricket talk with opponents in the bar after the game, whether drinking alcohol or not, used to be an enjoyable part of the weekend experience. This is only a snapshot of one symptom, but such camaraderie helped developed a love of playing. This is at least something that clubs themselves could address. It is within their sphere of influence. The ECB and various charity foundations such as Chance To Shine are funnelling more money than ever into recreational cricket. Various central initiatives such as Cricket Force, sponsored by NatWest, try to foster the right attitude in clubs, but ultimately the ECB cannot dictate human interaction.
Many clubs have increased their socialising and fund-raising in the best way. One suspects that cricket's influence in the community is often treasured. Ethnic minorities have undoubtedly strengthened club cricket with enthusiasm and family values. There is also a down side to that, and many observers, especially in the London area, wonder why the number Caribbean ethnic players has diminished, but that might be a different issue for another day.
Hollins said: “We are already working in partnership with our 39 county boards as part of a detailed participation review. We will join them in working with their respective cricket leagues to tackle key factors which affect participation such as match end time, travel distance to matches, playing format, length of game and club/school links.”
“This year, we’ve run a pilot ‘player communications’ programme in four counties, targeting current and lapsed players, which has produced encouraging results. We’ve also launched a programme of engagement and development with South Asian communities, which has been backed up by capital and revenue investment in five major cities with a high South Asian population.”
“Our recreational game also experienced greater frequency of rainfall on Saturdays in 2014 than in the wet summer of 2012, and in the New Year we’ll be announcing further plans to support clubs in their efforts to mitigate the impact of wet weather, which has had a significant impact on the number of fixtures completed.”
The National Cricket Playing Survey has been a welcome initiative, which the ECB say is part of their wider efforts to “engage more closely” with the amateur game. Their rapid financial response to club ground flooding in 2012 showed how help can be measured in material terms. But the challenge of increasing the number of active players is a complicated issue that goes beyond money.
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