Cricket Scotland gets ICC award for social impact

Cricket Scotland earned recognition for its initiative to use cricket programmes as vehicle to support young, disadvantaged and under-represented people in the country, winning the ‘Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the Year’, which is part of the Global ICC Development Awards.

The cricket body of the north-western European nation teamed up with Beyond Boundaries, a Scottish charity, for the initiative.

“We are really excited to whack the global Cricket 4 Good Social Impact Award. It is a really big part with what we do, in the development team at Cricket Scotland and our partnership with Beyond Boundaries is a strong one,” said Nicole Wilson, head of development for Cricket Scotland in an interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Keith Wilson, the chief of Beyond Boundaries, explained his organisation’s objective.

“Beyond Boundaries aims to transform the lives of young, disadvantaged and under-represented people on Scotland. We do this through funding programmes by using cricket in any of its forms to encourage an active lifestyle, improvement of health, increasing social inclusion and improve self-confidence,” he said.

Helping in the development of women's cricket, establishing disability clubs and providing free community sessions, Nicola says the partnership and collaborating with other organisations is key to transforming lives.

“Our partnership (with Beyond Boundaries) covers so many aspects of the work we do; this includes our Disability Champion Clubs, the growth of women’s and girls’ cricket through the Wee Bash, the Female Coach Development Programme and the Women’s Beyond Boundaries T20 Scottish Cup, and the HOWZAT programme for five to 11-year-olds,” she added.

“It is fantastic to see the success of these programmes, which have positively impacted so many people across Scotland, being given global recognition.”

Emily Divine, the Disability Development Manager of Cricket Scotland, said, “Beyond Boundaries help us fund our champion clubs to help them with coaching fees, equipment and anything like that help their sessions off the ground.”

ICC, Cricket Scotland, Beyond Boundaries