Following changes made in 2021, CI Lottery proceeds are now awarded where 50% of the proceeds goes to the Arts, Culture, Heritage, Sports and Science sectors via the Jersey Community Foundation.
One sport that has received a major boost from lottery funding is cricket, with both Jersey Cricket and Farmers Cricket Club being recipients of healthy grants from the charity and with particular focus being given to encourage and support female and junior cricket players across the Island.
Jersey Cricket was awarded £25,000 to facilitate the employment of a full-time Female Performance & Development Officer building on the foundations already in place for girl’s and women’s cricket in Jersey. With a dedicated full-time member of staff responsible for the growth of female participation, Jersey Cricket will be able to provide a well-defined pathway for girls to enjoy the sport and reach whichever level they wish to reach, ensuring that there is equality across both the male and female games.
An additional £10,000 was also provided to Jersey Cricket for net regeneration at Grainville to ensure that the facility currently in place can withstand the demand from the local cricket players in the community, clubs and organisations.
In 2020 over 3,000 islanders took part in cricket across grassroots initiatives, junior, evening and weekend leagues as well as high-performance environments through Jersey Cricket. To cope with the demands of this the net lanes around the island need to be accessible and available for community use when suitable. The outdoor nets are used every day of the week and especially in the evenings to cater for training sessions and preparations for matches.
The Grainville nets are also used as an option for surrounding schools (FCJ, Grands Vaux, Grainville), a base for Walkovers Cricket Club which has just over 100 members, Jersey Cricket (men’s, women’s, junior boys, junior girls) performance squads as well as being open for use by the public.
Farmers Cricket Club was awarded £50,000 to upgrade and enlarge Clubhouse facilities at Farmers Cricket Club to increase the number of lavatories and showering/changing facilities to a standard and layout appropriate for the increasing level of men’s, women’s and junior cricket being played at the ground. Provision is also being given to provide suitable WC facilities for disabled people visiting the ground.
In the eighteen years that have elapsed since FCC developed the facility at Farmers Field, the club has seen remarkable growth in participation in cricket at all levels.
Originally the club was much smaller than it is today with just one team playing weekend friendlies and fixtures against touring sides. After the merger with Caesareans in 2009 the club fielded two league teams and a social XI for several years. Growing membership was accompanied by the development of youth cricket at the club, thanks to the commitment of parents and helpers who took on coaching and match officiating roles. The club now has a thriving youth development programme and is contributing significantly to the growth of youth cricket across the Island.
Lee Meloy from Jersey Cricket commented: “Over the past 5 years junior and senior cricket has seen a growth in playing numbers across the board. In particular, hardball cricket has seen major growth in the women’s and junior club sections and we are very grateful to Jersey Community Foundation for providing the funds to help enable us to deliver the facilities and training required to support this growing interest.”
Anna Terry, CEO of the Jersey Community Foundation added: “The CI lottery proceeds are there to benefit the whole of our island community. We are delighted to be able to support a popular sport on the Island to ensure that anyone who wishes to take part regardless of their age, gender or ability has access to a high level of facilities, equipment and support.”
The closing date for the next round of applications is 29th May 2022 and full guidance on the fund can be found on the Jersey Community Foundation website.
Organisations can apply online. For more information contact grants@jerseycommunityfoundation.org
