Photo Credit: Cricket West Indies
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Republic Bank Financial Holdings today announced the Guyana launch of ‘Five for Fun’ – a new format of cricket designed to appeal to children from 8 to 11 years old.
The Five for Fun initiative is a true joint-venture whereby CWI and Republic Bank are developing the platform together across the region to engage schools and schoolchildren. Working closely with the Ministries of Sport and Education, CWI and Republic Bank developed the Five for Fun platform together and successfully piloted it in St. Lucia in 2021.
Five for Fun will become be one of the first steps in CWI’s “Future Stars” programme, the development and participation pathway to introduce the next generation to cricket and develop their love for and involvement in the Caribbean’s #1 sport. The programme’s goal is to promote fun and engage children to grow a love for the game, while developing critical life skills such as leadership, teamwork, values, mental focus, patience, dealing with adversity, tactical awareness, confidence, time management, responsibility, physical development and much more.
Following the pilot’s success, the Five for Fun will this year launch across the wider Caribbean, starting in Guyana, and over the coming weeks in Grenada and St. Kitts & Nevis, with St Lucia also starting their second year of activity. In the coming years, Five for Fun will be introduced to other Caribbean markets and beyond.
The Guyana “Five for Fun” programme begins today with the media launch and exhibition games to demonstrate how the game will be played. Over the next few weeks and throughout the August holidays, CWI, working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education Allied Arts Division; the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport, and the Guyana Cricket Board will introduce several coaching hubs across the three counties in Guyana, to prepare the teams for a series of preliminary games.
From September, 15 zones, comprising 75 school teams will participate in zonal preliminary rounds leading to a grand “Five for Fun” finals in Guyana.
Stephen Grell, Managing Director, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, shared,
“It is the first of its kind, welcoming a notable diversity of participation and positioning young cricket enthusiasts for stardom. We’re particularly heartened that this comes at a time when we’re encouraging students to return to school after such an extended time away from the classroom; and it presents an opportunity for recreational, developmental, physically invigorating activity, discipline and togetherness.”
KJ Singh, Senior Project Officer, Schools Cricket for CWI said,
“CWI is extremely proud to partner with Republic Bank on this critical grassroots cricket programme at the start of our “Future Stars” development pathway. Five for Fun allows both organizations to leverage and apply resources to give children the opportunity to play our region’s favourite sport pastime and ensure that the legacy of the game is preserved with the energy of new generations of players and fans. This new programme is delivered in close collaboration with Ministries of Sport and Education and also relies on the skills and knowledge of our regional cricket boards, in this case Guyana Cricket Board, who play a vital role in delivering this programme within Guyana.”
Karen Tom Yew, Group Marketing Officer, Republic Bank Limited commented,
‘‘Republic Bank’s enduring commitment to the local communities is further reinforced with the launch of 5 for Fun. We have been working with our friends at Cricket West Indies for 3 years on this ground-breaking partnership which reflects our status as creators of the format and long-term supporters of its success. We believe that our investments into the communities in which we trade can and should support our marketing efforts. In the longer term, we see 5 for Fun as an asset that might drive revenue from licensing, merchandising and broadcast – particularly in overseas markets. 5 for Fun is a paradigm for marketing investments that combine social good with potential growth in shareholder value.”
Derwin Howell, Executive Director of Republic Financial Holdings commented:
‘‘In every corner of the Caribbean, you are reminded that cricket is much more than a sport. It is part of our cultural lifeblood. From CPL to the school playground, Republic Bank continues to support cricket and, in so doing, fulfil the dreams of kids and the passions of some many citizens.’’
About Five for Fun
The rules and format for Five for Fun are designed around two basic principles: fun and inclusion. The ‘fun’ elements of the game are rooted in its speed, energy and simple rules. As regards inclusion, Five for Fun pits boys and girls of all abilities together as equals. Each Five For Fun game involves 5 Players per team playing 5 6-Ball Overs each. Each batter will face an over from a single bowler. If a batter is ‘Out’, they will still face their allotted Over but 3 Runs will be deducted from the team score. Full Rules for Five For Fun are available upon request.
Republic Bank & Cricket
Five For Fun is the third pillar of Republic Bank’s region-wide investment into the Caribbean’s favourite sport. Republic Bank is also the Official Banking Partner of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and one of the tournament’s long-standing supporters. Alongside CPL, Republic Bank launched its Spirit of Caribbean Cricket platform in 2019. Spirit of Caribbean Cricket is a digital media property whereby all the stakeholders of cricket ranging from fans to legends are invited to share their memories, anecdotes and opinions about the past, present and future of the game. Please see www.spiritofcaribbeancricket.com.
CWI Future Stars Programme
The Future Stars Programme covers all aspects of participation and development from primary school age through to our “Rising Stars” Programme. For players showing true potential, our “Rising Stars” community and school programmes for secondary age children is the next stage of player development. And for those who demonstrate the ability and passion to excel further, the Future Stars pathway extends into our U17s and U19s regional programmes, and then the opportunity to represent the West Indies at U19 level and then hopefully onto a full-time professional career.
