Chance to Shine
Bringing the benefits of cricket back to state schools.
The Cricket Foundation launched Chance to Shine in May 2005 and set out to bring competitive cricket - and its educational benefits - back to at least a third of the country’s state schools initially over a ten year period.
Chance to Shine in Wiltshire
Chance to Shine has been running in Wiltshire since 2006, with Biddestone CC the first club to take part. Since then seven more projects have come on line - Corsham CC, Calne CC, Trowbridge CC, Potterne CC, Warminster CC, Salisbury District and Swindon/North East Wiltshire.
In each of the projects, clubs have provided schools with curriculum, extra curriculum and club based activities to better develop a natural link between the school and the club. The effectiveness of Chance to Shine is measured in three different areas:
•the ability for the programme to sustain itself after the five years funding is complete.
•the migration of children from the school environment to club environment.
•the support of a matchplay programme to improve participation.
Now in our sixth year, we recognise the power of cricket to help young people acquire important skills, values and attitudes for their future lives. The campaign does not aim to develop the cricketing stars of the future. And although it’s possible we might find the next Andrew Strauss or Charlotte Edwards, our main aim is development through cricket.
Chance to Shine is a national campaign that relies on corporate and individual charitable donations. To sustain the programme and achieve its target of reaching at least two million state school children by 2015, we need to raise £5million annually.
To date, the Cricket Foundation has raised £21 million in funds privately through individual donors, corporate partnerships, Trusts and Foundations. The Government, through Sport England, has provided an additional £12.5million funding to support the Chance to Shine campaign.
How it works
Chance to Shine is delivered through individual projects working with County Cricket Boards across England and Wales. Each project provides a structured coaching and competition programme for a group of up to eight primary and secondary state schools. The group of schools is supported by professional, qualified coaches engaged by one local cricket club.
We also provide equipment, facility development (including playground markings and non-turf pitches) as well as training for state school teachers and coaches. Each project is funded for a minimum period of five years and once it’s ended, we work closely with schools and clubs to help them sustain cricket activities.
We also support a number of special projects, including StreetChance, MCC Spirit of Cricket, and our hospital cricket programme
Educating through cricket
All competitive team sports can play a vital role in the education and personal development of young people, offering opportunities to lead healthy, purposeful lives. But we strongly believe that cricket has special attributes because it:
- Promotes leadership, teamwork and strategic awareness.
- Teaches respect, how to win, to lose and cope with setback.
- Is the ultimate team game, demanding both individual and collective responsibility.
- Insists on high standards of conduct and provides good role models.
- Is wholly inclusive, drawing together people from all cultures and backgrounds. It gives opportunities to boys and girls, as well as to those with special needs.
- Is able to reach all of our major ethnic communities in a way no other sport clearly can.
Benefits in the classroom, as well as the playground
Chance to Shine have also pioneered special, web-based educational resources, CricEd. The innovative, cricket-themed (Key Stage 2 & 3) lessons have proved very popular with Chance to Shine teachers across the Curriculum who have used them to enhance pupils’ literacy, numeracy and IT skills.
MCC Spirit of Cricket
MCC and the Cricket Foundation work in partnership to promote the MCC Spirit of Cricket message of playing hard, but playing fair in all Chance to Shine schools.
The campaign is now in its fourth year. In 2012, children will learn about the MCC Spirit of Cricket through:
- an interactive assembly resource featuring exciting action and professional cricketers playing in the Spirit of Cricket
- an MCC Spirit of Cricket trophy to encourage competition in schools