Due to their previous success in engaging young female cricketers, Quinns Rock Junior Cricket Club set a goal to increase the participation of children with disabilities within their club.
The club discovered that very few of their members identified as having a disability, and those who did were at risk of disengaging from the sport for reasons such as increased competitive nature in the older age groups.
Two tailored programs were developed to ensure that the club could increase participation:
- Star Blast: designed for younger children to develop their skills in cricket in a fun environment.
- Integrated Cricket League: designed for teenagers to assist in the development of their skills in cricket.
To ensure the efficient use of club resources and ensure the sustainability of the programs, they were designed to run on the same day and at the same location as all other club programs.
What happened next
- Within the first season, both programs had 7-8 regular participants.
- The Integrated Cricket League program had enough players to form a team and play against other clubs.
- QRJCC has increased the amount of participants with a disability within their club as well as changed the culture of the whole club to welcome those with a disability.
- The successes of QRJCC have not gone unnoticed with the club winning multiple awards which includes:
- Club of the Year award, Western Australian Cricket Association
- Junior Club of the Year , Cricket Australia
- Program of the Year (Star Blast), Cricket Australia
- Junior Coach Champion Award, Cricket Australia
