We are sure you will join ECB in wanting everyone, in particular children*, to feel welcomed and to have a positive, safe and fun experience at your club, whatever their involvement in the game, at whatever level. By specifically setting out to meet the needs and wishes of children and young people, the club as a whole will benefit.

The ECB understands its responsibilities towards children and is committed to providing policies, procedures, guidelines and support for everyone in cricket raising awareness of their responsibility to safeguard children and to understand their duty of care.

Safeguarding is about how the club operates to create a culture that welcomes, involves and develops children and young people, helping direct the game and the provision of services to meet the needs of participants. By providing a safe and welcoming environment where the views of children, young people and adults are sought and taken into account, ensuring the necessary checks are made and the preparatory work is done allows good practice to flourish, and any poor practice or abuse to stick out ‘like a sore thumb’.

A club has a duty of care to ensure any child involved in related activities is protected from reasonably foreseeable forms of harm. This means acknowledging that the duty of care exists and putting practical measures in place to minimize the likelihood of harm arising. This section of the ECB Clubmark assists in discharging that duty.

*For the avoidance of doubt, a child is any person under the age of 18 years

The nature of the cricket programme offered and the way it is delivered is important to the experience people have of your club and contributes to their decision as to whether to stay involved in the game long-term. Most people like to feel safe, have fun and spend time with their friends in and environment that allows them to play the game, learn new things, and achieve their individual and collective potential.

Whenever good coaches coach, they consider the players’ needs first and try to create the best possible coaching environments for them. A player- centred approach will provide players, whatever their playing ability with a higher quality experience and enable you and your club to be more successful in the recruitment, retention and development of players.

The ECB Player Development Model provides clarity to the types of experiences players are likely to require, appropriate to their development, throughout all the stages of the life cycle (i.e. child, young person and adult).

Two key themes that underpin the ECB Player Development Model are:

1. Players have particular needs at particular times during their development

2. Coaches who meet those needs have a greater chance of being synchronised and in tune with players

Clubs should provide suitable intra and/or inter club competition. Developing an appropriate competition programme is vital for young people as it is one significant reason why many join a club in the first place. There are many different formats of the game that can be used and adapted to suit the varied needs, motivations and lifestyles of current and potential participants.

Guidance is provided on supervising young players and minimum player to coach ratios. Coaching staff have a key role in establishing an appropriate coaching environment and creating a successful playing programme. Clubs have to demonstrate that coaches are trained to appropriate levels and that the activities undertaken reflect best practice in the development of young people.

Knowing Your Club and its Community - One Game

In a diverse world where people have many options as to what to do with their spare time, community cricket clubs have a key part to play in creating a welcoming and safe environment that attracts and retains individuals and their families in a way that is sustainable and helps to build a strong present and future for your club.

One Game is ECBs inclusion and diversity strategy that provides clear guidance on widening the appeal of cricket to ensure as many people as possible are welcomed into the game at all levels regardless of age, race, ability, gender, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or marital status, religious belief, class or social background, sexual preference or political belief.

As the guardians of cricket, it is up to each and every one of us to hand our game on in better shape than when we found it. The One Game philosophy applies to everyone at every level, from the playground through to our international teams, from players to volunteers and fans. The aim of this section of ECB Clubmark is to ensure that all clubs are aware of their immediate community and know how to engage effectively with them.

That way, a club can ensure it is meeting the needs of its local area when planning opportunities for people to participate in cricket.

It is about selecting the methods that best suit each individual club situation.

Clubs that are well managed tend to be successful. They have well-ordered finances and keep all volunteers and members fully involved, engaged and well informed with good communication – having clear shared vison, planning for the future as well as being prepared in the event of any emergencies.

Understanding and taking into account how the facilities (environmental), people (social) and financial (economic) elements interact with each other will enable you to create and sustain a safe and welcoming environment that encourages people to get and stay involved at your club.

If the day to day running of the club is dealt with efficiently, strong links can be formed with external partners, such as sports development agencies and local schools, colleges, universities, and positive working relationships developed with the ECB and CCBs to ensure that good practice is maintained.