Council has endorsed a new strategy that will guide the direction of cricket in the Geelong region over the next 10 years.
The G21 and Cricket Victoria Barwon Regional Cricket Strategy sets an overall vision of, 'More cricket, played by more participants, across a diversity of programs and locations.'
It lists a series of actions under five key strategic priorities to help achieve this vision, with the development of an 'aligned and collaborative' structure as the top priority.
The other four strategic priorities are:
- Participation growth;
- Facility provision, capacity and renewal;
- Regional cricket and community centre; and
- Resourcing and partnerships.
The strategy seeks to grow participation in cricket through action at both the elite and grassroots levels.
It expresses support for the Geelong Region T20 Group's bid and advocacy efforts for the establishment of a Big Bash team in Geelong, and for continued hosting of other international and national cricket events.
It supports the development of a high quality regional cricket centre at Kardinia Park, available for year-round use by both high performance and grassroots level players.
The strategy also sets a direction to provide a wider range of competition opportunities, including shorter and more flexible formats, and to expand programs for junior and female players, as well as multi-cultural and Indigenous communities.
And it includes recommendations to provide more support and development opportunities for umpires, coaches and volunteers.
The development of the strategy has been a collaboration between Cricket Victoria, the local cricket community, the G21 Region Alliance and its five local government members (including the City of Greater Geelong).
Council released a draft of the document for public feedback in October 2018, receiving 12 submissions.
The strategy does not commit the City of Greater Geelong to any immediate funding requirements.
Members of the community can read the full G21 and Cricket Victoria Barwon Regional Cricket Strategy within the agenda for the 9 July council meeting.
Mayor Bruce Harwood:
Cricket has traditionally been very strong in the Geelong region and the council is supportive of efforts to make sure participation remains high.This strategy provides a strong direction for the sport over the next 10 years, starting with a more aligned governance model. We look forward to seeing the game continue to grow and flourish locally as the actions in this strategy are carried out.
Councillor Anthony Aitken, Co-Chair, Social and Infrastructure Planning portfolio:
Cricket participation has declined in the G21 region recently and the strategy has identified a number of opportunities to address this.Cricket needs to diversify by creating more junior, female and inclusion playing opportunities at a local level. This document provides a blueprint for the cricket community to embrace and take up those opportunities.
Hopefully by following this document, our region can produce future Australian captains such as Aaron Finch, and remain as one of our preferred sports during summer.
