Day one of the Test match between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston proved to be a roaring success on a day when the efforts made by all within Warwickshire Cricket Foundation was celebrated.
Designated the Warwickshire Cricket Foundation Day, all who visited Edgbaston on Wednesday were given an insight into the work conducted by the Foundation within the city of Birmingham and the wider county of Warwickshire as a whole.
Thanks to the generosity and partnership in place with Warwickshire County Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Foundation welcomed more than 1,000 people through the doors of the stadium - many of them would have been visiting the ground and witnessing live cricket for the very first time.
Included in that number were in the region of 450 schoolchildren, some of whom accompanied the England and Pakistan squads out onto the pitch pre-match for the respective national anthems.
The Foundation also had a ‘Bowlathon’ in action in the Fanzone behind the RES Wyatt Stand, which proved very popular as the day went on, and a competition in which prizes included Ashes tickets, Finals Day tickets and signed England merchandise were up for grabs.
In the bowl of the stadium, in the concourse and outside the stands, the Foundation was prominent.
“We work really closely with Warwickshire County Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board,” Fidelis Navas, Managing Director of the Foundation, explained.
“We are the official charity, and that means that we have really fantastic access to places like Edgbaston Stadium - and there are lots of opportunities to inspire through the stadium.
“On Wednesday morning, we welcomed Heathmount School, a school so local you can see Edgbaston from their playground. They came and enjoyed singing the anthem with the English and the Pakistani players before play.
“At the same time, they had schoolmates back at the school having a session with coaches from Warwickshire Cricket Foundation.
“They’re just two examples of the kind of things that we're doing at Warwickshire Cricket Foundation to make sure that cricket is a game that everyone can play and everyone benefits from all of the important things of being part of a team and having lots of fun.”
The Access team were also given an opportunity to showcase their abilities to an international audience, when they took to the outfield in front of the Sky Sports cameras during the lunch break.
Boundaries and sixes rained, with spectators nearby on hand to attempt some crowd catches, as the Access team displayed some big hitting in front of an appreciative audience, who delivered a warm reception and applauded them off the field when they departed.
Warwickshire Cricket Foundation operates a number of SEN [Special Educational Needs] hubs around the county to ensure that all who want to be involved in cricket, no matter ability or background, have the facilities and coaching expertise to do so.
“We have 10 hubs all throughout Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwick to make sure that we are delivering cricket or enabling cricket to happen,” Fidelis outlined.
“There are lots of ways you can play cricket. The Access team here are playing with a softball, for one.
“There are one in four primary schools across Birmingham and Solihull who have cricket delivered by expert coaches from Warwickshire Cricket Foundation.”
Wednesday’s dedicated day was a culmination of hard work by all within the Foundation, work which continues on a daily basis through the autumn and winter and long after the regular cricket season concludes.
The rewards included an unprecedented coverage from national broadcasters Sky Sports, who followed the Access team out onto the pitch during the interval.
“I was very excited and proud whilst we were waiting to come on at lunch,” Fidelis revealed. “The players that you saw on the field had just been told that they were going to be on Sky TV.
“The world will see them in their Warwickshire Cricket Foundation T-shirts and the world is watching them play cricket. I think that's fantastic.
“Whilst we are so enthused and grateful for the support we get from our inclusive county club, it enables us and gives us the confidence to do more and more.
“Watching these players play now absolutely epitomises the goal that Warwickshire Cricket Foundation has, which is to enable cricket to change lives.
“Playing cricket's great for you. Being a coach, being a leader, being an umpire, everything involved in the game…this is exactly what we're trying to do at Warwickshire Cricket Foundation - showcase the fact that cricket is a game for everyone.
“Our slogan is Cricket Without Limits and you could see on Wednesday that that is exactly what we do day in, day out.”
There remains an emphasis, too, on highlighting that, although Edgbaston is located in Birmingham, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation goes above and beyond around Warwickshire the county.
“It is exactly why fundraising is so important to us,” Fidelis added.
“We are very grateful for the partners and the funders that we have, but days like Wednesday enable us to raise much needed funds so that we can, for example, go and work in community groups and youth clubs, or organisations that currently don't have funding to do this kind of work.
“That’s why we want to help and use cricket to be more than just physical exercise, although we recognise that physical exercise is excellent for your mental health.
“All of these things are super important. We are a charity, we are actively fundraising as an organisation. We will always talk about how cricket can help you lead a better, healthier, happier life.
“We cannot do that without the inspiration of places like Edgbaston Stadium, which showcases all the great things about cricket on a global stage.”
If you would like to donate to Warwickshire Cricket Foundation's causes, you can do so by texting WICKET to 70560 to donate £10.
Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from us. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more from us, please text WICKETNOINFO instead.
_s6bZ9Ri.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
%20(1).png?clxf=t_general_medium)
.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
_Q3P0zzz.png?clxf=t_general_medium)
