Photo Credit: South Australian Cricket Association
The number of Australians registered to play cricket continues to grow with the latest Australian Cricket Census revealing a 5% increase in total registrations for the 2023-24 season.
As Australian Cricket celebrates Play Cricket Week, the Census showed the total number of participants registered in entry-level programs, clubs and other competitions grew from 627,793 to 661,161 last season.
This was highlighted by significant year-on-year growth in Woolworths Blast (+19%), women’s and girls’ participation (+18%) and South Asian boys and girls aged 5-12 (+13%) which have been strategic priorities for Australian Cricket.
The Census also revealed a small year-on-year decline in the number of players registered in junior cricket (-3%).
This decline has been partly attributed to flow-on impact of COVID-19 when youth who might now be entering junior cricket were unable to access some entry-level and school programs and acquire the skills or club connection required to progress.
However, Cricket Australia has acknowledged the challenges all sports now face in ensuring participants continue to play sport for longer and have made retention initiatives a major priority for cricket to safeguard the long-term health of the game.
This will include a new Coach Development Framework to enhance the experiences of players and coaches and the integration of social cricket formats with competitive competition pathways.
Growth in registered participation was again the result of the tireless work of community volunteers and club administrators who have seized on the support provided to ensure cricket remains Australia’s national game.
Significant findings from the Australian Cricket Census included:
- Total registered participation increased 5% from 627,793 to 661,161.
- Registered participation among 5-12 year-olds increased 5% from 129,000 to 136,000.
- Woolworth Cricket Blast registered participation increased 19% from 69,879 to 83,100.
- Registered women and girls’ participation increased 18% from 78,679 to 93,091.
- Registered participation in junior cricket decreased 3% from 108,120 to 104,913.
- Registered participation of South-Asian boys and girls aged 5-12 in Blast and junior cricket increased 13% from 22,198 to 25,516.
James Quarmby, CA Head of Participation said:
“The sustained increase in registered participation across the game is really pleasing and again demonstrates the game is in good health at all levels.
“We rely on the hard work and dedication of our volunteers in clubs, associations and Woolworth Blast centres to ensure cricket is played and loved in communities across Australia and we are immensely grateful for all their dedication and hard work.
“Increasing participation among kids aged 5 to 12, women and girls and kids from multicultural communities is a key part of Australian Cricket’s strategy and it is really pleasing to see the initiatives in these areas creating such outstanding results. We are confident this growth will help ensure the future of cricket for generations to come.
“Ensuring kids keep playing sport through their teenage years into adulthood is a challenge for all sports. While the small drop in registered junior participation amongst teenagers can be partly attributed to impact of COVID-19 on entry-level programs, we are taking on this challenge to ensure kids play cricket for longer with a strong focus on retention initiatives.
“We are confident this will see the number of junior, and in turn senior, club cricketers grow as our sport continues to thrive in communities across Australia.”
