OVERVIEW
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
ACTIVE
CONFIDENT
INCLUDED

this is

our

impact

In 2024,

we reached a record

28,669 young people

through our inclusive cricket programmes

Empowered participants to

fulfil their potential

through the game… ​

0 %

felt more active

0 %

felt more confident

0 %

felt more included

And continued to

grow

our reach and impact.

24,399 young people reached in 769 SEND settings

(50% of all UK SEND settings)

22% increase in female Super 1s participants

10 girls only Wicketz hubs

22% increase in female Super 1s participants

10 girls only Wicketz hubs

254 Wicketz and Super 1s hubs

(24% increase on 2023)

482 life skills workshops

(25% increase on 2023)

482 life skills workshops

(25% increase on 2023)

65 employability workshops

(engaging 358 participants)

31,100 items of cricket kit donated

(in the UK and abroad)

31,100 items of cricket kit donated

(in the UK and abroad)

our goals

We measure our impact through the following outcomes 

Improve Activity and Healthy Lifestyles

Increase confidence and self-esteem

Promote social inclusion

what did we

ACHIEVE?

0

wicketz hubs

0

super 1s hubs

0

health and wellbeing workshops

0

regional Wicketz festivals

0

cricket sessions in SEND settings

There’s pupils I can think of now that, as a result of playing cricket and the engagement and enthusiasm that they’ve had, are now more active. They’re going out at lunchtime and doing a daily mile, when they weren’t before. They know they’ve got cricket coming and you can see them always trying to re-enact the cricket lessons with one of them being the teacher on the playing field.”

SEND Teacher

Why focus on improving activity levels?

Children and young people from less affluent families are less likely to engage in physical activity*, putting them at greater risk of an unhealthy lifestyle. This issue is even more pronounced for those with disabilities, who face barriers to accessing sports and facilities. Regular physical and social activity is crucial for both mental and physical health.

Our free, inclusive cricket programmes aim to tackle this, offering weekly sessions that promote exercise, competition, and the development of life skills among young people. 

what did we

ACHIEVE?

0 %

felt more independent

0 %

felt more able to make friends

Weekly hub sessions 

Regular sessions give young people the opportunity to be part of a positive activity every week with their peers and benefit from a healthy alternative to heavy social media use and feelings of isolation. 

super 1s residentials

We delivered our first ever girls only Super 1s residential in addition to two boys residentials. These enable participants to experience spending time away from home, and build up confidence through engaging with different people sharing similar life experiences.

His confidence has gone through the roof since joining Super 1s. A few years ago, Hadley would have been terrified to walk into a hall full of people he didn’t know. Super 1s is inclusive and friendly yet keeping the activity competitive. It’s the best of both worlds.

Hadley’s mum

Confidence is key for personal development

Self-esteem and confidence are vital for the growth of young people with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds. They help improve wellbeing and personal development within their communities. Studies show a strong link between sports and mental health, with young people in underserved areas benefiting from physical activity.

Regular participation boosts self-worth, resilience, and mental health**. Confidence also helps combat depression and loneliness, and our programmes provide a supportive environment for young people to thrive through consistent activity in local community hubs. 

what did we

ACHIEVE?

0

workshops on social issues

0

employability workshops

0

competition and festivals

Residentials bringing Super 1s and Wicketz together 

These offered participants with a disability and from disadvantaged communities the unique opportunity to mix with, and learn from, groups of people they perhaps wouldn’t usually engage with.

Regional Wicketz festivals 

Being able to travel to new places, experience new things and play and compete with young people from different regions and backgrounds is a valuable life experience for all participants engaging in our regional festivals. 

I cant really imagine myself not doing Wicketz now. I think even if others I play with live with a disability or have different religious beliefs, we all come together and we’re one team.

Sam, South Wales Wicketz participant

Bringing young people and communities together

Community cricket programmes like Super 1s and Wicketz help break barriers to participation, including discrimination and exclusion. By fostering inclusivity, sport builds stronger communities and supports individuals facing social isolation***. 

Our programmes ensure young people with disabilities and from deprived areas feel cricket is for them. Inclusive sessions bring together those facing inequality, offering a supportive space to be active. Young participants and their families gain opportunities to connect, overcoming challenges through shared experiences in a welcoming environment. 

our focus

3 areas of focus for the year

The Youth Ambassador programme is our organisation changing initiative to put young people at the centre of our charity’s decision-making. Launched as part of our 2022-25 Strategy, this two-year development programme brings together 13 diverse young voices from across the UK. 

Key Features 

  • Open to participants aged 14-24 who have engaged with our programmes for over a year. 
  • Comprehensive training in public speaking, community engagement and professional development. 
  • Real opportunities to influence organisational decisions and represent the charity at key events. 

Early Impact 

  • 100% of Youth Ambassadors reported increased public speaking confidence after initial training. 
  • Three Ambassadors have already delivered impactful speeches at major fundraising events. 
  • Active participation in shaping organisational values and leadership selection, including involvement in appointing our new Chair. 

Development Focus 

The programme continues to build young leaders through specialized training in: 

  • Public speaking and presentation skills 
  • Community engagement and advocacy 
  • Peer mentoring capabilities 
  • Professional development (CV writing, interview skills) 

Our vision is for participants to have the opportunity to learn key skills that prepare them for the working world through CV and personal statement writing workshops, mock interview days and work experience within the county where they attend sessions.

As well as providing an opportunity for participants to develop these key skills, this also provides a great chance for organisations providing the work experience to promote inclusion and diversity internally, which is particularly vital in reducing the stigma around disabled people within the workplace and reducing the inequalities they experience.  

In 2024, we delivered 51 Super 1s employability workshops across 17 counties, and we’re looking to build on that once again in 2025.

Participants from Super 1s and Wicketz came together for our second cross-programme residential, in partnership with Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation.  

As well as experiencing a range of activities in a unique environment, participants from both programmes were able to learn about different communities, and how sport can bring them together. Two Wicketz participants were given the opportunity to design and lead their own coaching sessions, empowering them as leaders amongst both disabled and non-disabled young people, which is vital in ensuring that the next generation of coaches can truly make cricket a game for everyone. 

Our drive for continuous improvement and

greater impact

When undertaking a review of our impact, identifying shortfalls where we have not achieved all of our aims is equally as important as reporting and celebrating our success. Our organisation is committed to openness and transparency where these shortfalls are identified as well as outlining what we are doing to address them. We believe this is key to continually improving our work and may also enable our stakeholders and partners to support us with solutions.  

In our 2023 Impact Report, we identified several areas where we did not achieve everything we set out to achieve in ensuring our work was as impactful as we aimed for it to be. We worked to address the shortfalls and challenges throughout the year.  

Building on that approach we undertook the same exercise in 2024. Our primary learning was the need to continue our work with key partners to invest in a more robust approach to defining our Theory of Change and how we will capture, interpret and measure our impact. This continues to be a key strategic priority for 2025 and beyond. In 2024, we undertook some work with Trust Impact to move this on – more work is required to have the robustness that our ambitions strive for. The outcome of this work when complete will drive all our future programme design and the development of a more robust impact framework.    

THANK

YOU

The impact we’ve been able to have on young people with a disability and from disadvantaged communities in the past year has been made possible thanks to the efforts of all our supporters, members, volunteers, donors, trusts and foundations and partners, who continue to help us deliver and improve upon the work we do in empowering young people facing the challenge of inequality. 

our programmes

WICKETZ

A community cricket programme aimed at young people aged 8-19 living in areas of deprivation, which uses cricket as a tool for social change.

cricket in send settings

We deliver cricket sessions in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) settings to ensure that young people with a disability can engage in the most appropriate form of cricket.

SUPER 1S

A community programme for young people with disabilities aged 12-25 which provides them with the opportunity to play regular cricket and enjoy the benefits of playing sport.

cricket kit recycling

A programme which delivers cricket kit to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds enabling them to take part regularly in the sport and enjoy all its benefits.

ABOUT THIS REPORT

WHAT WE SAID IN 2023

  • Our approach to defining, capturing, analysing and reporting our impact needs to be more robust to ensure we are as impactful as we can be.

PROGRESS IN 2024 

  • Work with Trust Impact continued as we looked to identify where we have gaps in our impact measurement, receiving a full report on what we should do next – ‘how to ensure that we are purposeful in our approach to impact measurement’. This report has been used to strengthen our thinking about the resource we need to deliver its recommendations but we’ve yet to deploy these due to competing priorities for investment.  
  • We continued to develop the way we visualise and use our data but need to be better at using data to drive our decision making. 
  •  

All of the content featured in this report refers to our delivery year of 1 October 2023 – 31 September 2024.

The surveys participants undertook that provided us with information on the subjects of inclusion, confidence, independence, healthy lifestyles and levels of activity only refer to our Wicketz and Super 1s cricket programmes. Across both of these programmes 862 participants completed the surveys.

  • * Sport England Active Lives Survey 2023/24 
  • ** Sport and Mental Health: A Study on Confidence by the Centre for Mental Health and Sport England (2016)   
  • *** Sport for All: The Contribution of Sport to Social Integration (Sport and Recreation Alliance, 2017) 

Thank you to the County Cricket Boards, London Marathon Foundation and Jack Bird, who have provided photographs that feature in this report.

SUPPORTED BY

Registered Company No. 582579
Registered Charity No. 306054
Office of the Scottish Charities
Regular No. SCO46238
Registered Company No. 582579
Registered Charity No. 306054
Office of the Scottish Charities
Regular No. SCO46238