Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
Queensland Bulls, Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat players will be out in force around the State this month as Play Cricket week activities launch the national participation campaign.
Today also features the start of the ‘StreetSmarts Regional Tour’, which aligns with Play Cricket Week.
The statewide tour will see Brisbane Heat players travel throughout Queensland visiting schools and cricket clubs to promote the game of cricket and help raise awareness about road safety.
StreetSmarts road safety messaging will also be included providing a fun and educational event for all children.
More than 70 Heat, Bulls and Fire players will make Play Cricket week appearances across the State between now and next Monday, attending schools, cricket clubs and associations and Woolworths Cricket Blast clinics and showcases.
A breakdown of Player Cricket Week activity and the StreetSmarts Regional tour can be found at https://www.brisbaneheat.com.au/play-cricket-week
WBBL Heat pace bowler Courtney Sippel will be on hand to media at 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay where she will be involved with Mackay-Whitsunday Schools Cup activities as well as have her first look at the redeveloped Stadium ahead of the Heat’s WBBL clash against defending champions Adelaide Strikers on Saturday 11 November.
Sippel will also feature in a special session at the Central Queensland town of Clermont on Thursday that will feature more than 120 boys and girls from the district coming to the local Showgrounds for a series of come and try Blast sessions and other cricket activities.
Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls players Matthew Kuhnemann and Max Bryant will be in Townsville on Thursday at Gill Park as special guests at the Townsville Primary Schools Blast Cup featuring more than 300 students playing matches.
Queensland Bulls, Fire and Heat players will also be involved in the opening rounds of KFC T20 Max competition during the week, with Queensland Premier Clubs running a range of sign-on promotions around matches this weekend.
The release of today’s 2022-23 Australian Cricket Census figures highlights the game nationally is steadily returning to pre-COVID participation levels, with a five percent growth from the last Census period in 2021-22.
Queensland was the only State to increase its club cricket-based entry level Woolworths Blast participation, with the latest numbers revealing a 23% increase over four years.
Overall, there were 105,091 registered participants in Queensland, with women and girls’ participation rising nine percent on the last Census period.
Across Australia, the growth translated to 627,693 participants registered in entry-level programs, clubs and other competitions, from 598,931 in the previous season.
That numbers are gradually returning to the pre-COVID (2019/20) peak of 710,000 emphasises the unstinting work of community volunteers and club administrators who remain instrumental in growing the game.
KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 2022-23 AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CENSUS
- Total Registered Participation: Increased from 598,931 to 627,693 (+5%).
- Registered participation in Cricket Clubs (Junior and Senior) and Woolworths Cricket Blast: Increased from 393,921 to 409,642 (+4%).
- Registered participation among Women and Girls in Cricket Clubs (senior and junior) and Woolworths Cricket Blast: Increased from 40,143 to 50,377 (+26%).
- Kids Aged 5-12: Increased from 116,000 to 129,000 (+11%)
- Woolworths Cricket Blast registrations: Increased from 56,464 to 69,879 (+24%)
- Junior club cricket registrations: Remained consistent with 108,100 children registered to play
- South-Asian boys and girls aged 5-12 registered for participation: Girls +60%, Boys +16%.
