Photo Credit: Cricket NSW
A free program designed to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers the opportunity to participate in a combination of rich cricket and cultural experiences will be held in Orange next week.
The Cricket NSW Foundation will hold their inaugural Indigenous Pathway Program, for youngsters aged 12 to 18, at Wade Park in Orange on February 9, the day before the NSW women’s team – the Breakers – play the ACT at the same venue.
Indigenous NSW Breakers stars Hannah Darlington and Anika Learoyd will be on hand to coach and offer mentorship. The pair will be joined by highly respected Indigenous cricketer, Andrew Gordon, who represented NSW in the Imparja Cup for more than a decade, and former NSW Breaker and current head coach of the NSW Women’s Indigenous Team, Kerry Marshall.
The Cricket NSW Foundation enriches communities and improves lives through cricket. With this program the Foundation is dedicated to enabling access to cricket and providing opportunities to the game for children and teenagers from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
To register for the Indigenous Pathway Program at Wade Park in Orange (10am-2:30pm) on Thursday February 9, CLICK HERE / go to www.cricketnsw.com.au.
The Indigenous Pathway Program in Orange is the first of three similar programs funded by the Cricket NSW Foundation that will be held at various venues over coming months, and caters for everyone, from teenagers who have never played before, to high performance cricketers and everyone in between.
Wiradjuri man Ricky Ah-See, a member of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, will open the day at Wade Park with a Welcome to Country prior to coaching and mentoring opportunities and a Q and A with Darlington, Learoyd and Gordon about their personal stories and what cricket means to them.
Participants will also receive lunch before returning to the field for more fun cricket activities, including an introduction to noongar wan a, a ball hitting game played by First Nations peoples in the southwest region of WA.
Both Learoyd and Darlington said they were excited to be involved in such a progressive program:
Anika Learoyd said: “I am so grateful that cricket gifts me opportunities to connect and engage with young indigenous teens. Programs like this allows us to connect and share our culture and our sport and show that cricket is a sport for all.”
Hannah Darlington said: “The impact a program like this can have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth allows them to see other people like them to all come together and play a sport they love. These opportunities are less about the cricket, but more about creating cultural relationships and anything more than that is an added bonus!”
Cricket NSW CEO, Lee Germon, who will also be present at Wade Park said the work the CNSW Foundation was doing in the area was significant.
“At Cricket NSW our purpose is to inspire everyone to play and love cricket,” Germon said.
“Cricket provides opportunities for communities to come together and creates belonging in very special ways.
“The CNSW Foundation provides increased access to our sport and the Pathways Program for young Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders is a great way for this to occur for very important members of our cricket family and wider community.”
To register for the Indigenous Pathway Program at Wade Park in Orange (10am-2:30pm) on Thursday February 9, CLICK HERE / go to www.cricketnsw.com.au.
The Cricket NSW Foundation is the Cricket NSW’s charitable arm and exists to enrich communities and improve lives through cricket by enabling access to the game for all within NSW. Through the Cricket NSW Foundation, we are raising philanthropic funds to invest in programs that allow everyone to experience the benefits that the game of cricket provides.
Our aim is to raise $10 million by 2025 so that we can deliver cornerstone projects and use cricket to substantially improve the lives of people in our communities.
DONATE NOW to the Cricket NSW Foundation.
The Cricket NSW Foundation focuses on four key areas:
1. Thriving Cricket Communities: increasing access to cricket across NSW
2. Youth Development: increasing youth social connection & development through cricket
3. Health & Well-Being: increasing awareness and providing education amongst grassroots cricket communities
4. Female Engagement: providing opportunities and development across NSW
Name of Author: Cricket NSW
Cricket NSW, officially the New South Wales Cricket Association, is the governing body for cricket in New South Wales, Australia. Based at Sydney Olympic Park, it oversees the New South Wales Blues, New South Wales Breakers, Sydney Thunder, and Sydney Sixers.
