Regional Forums – March 2017
Headline Discussions
- Welcome, Introduction and Apologies
- Coaching Strategy update
It was recognised that coaching had been put on the back burner and had not been best served during the recent restructure.
The Coaching unleashed strategy has been signed off by the ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison and a recruitment process for the role of Head of Coach Development had taken place.
Gordon Lord applied for and was offered the role but declined the offer, Gordon left the ECB on Monday 13th March after 25 years and joined the RFU in a similar position.
Gordon leaves with all our best wishes and immense thanks for his massive contribution to Coaching, Coach Development and to the Coaches Association.
The process of recruiting for the role of Head of Coach Development is ongoing and John Stannard has been chosen to sit on the interview panel alongside Andrew Strauss, Clare Connor and Matt Dwyer. It is hoped that an appointment will follow shortly.
JS has recently chaired some coaching group strategy meetings which have involved representation from many areas of cricket including ECB CA, Women and Girls, BME, Elite Coaching, Marketing and Systems which has highlighted how relevant and important the CA is across many spectrums of the game.
It is hoped that future CA Regional Forums will be integrated back and representation from CCED as the split has not served the CA well.
- Local support and minimum activity (slides attached)
This agenda item was split in to two areas.
1) The rationale behind why the CA Minimum Activity was introduced in 2015. It was noted that all CA’s would be audited later in the year and would need to evidence that the CA Minimum Activity had been delivered.
2) We are asking local CA’s to support a national campaign to recruit new members from the club environment. This campaign is based on the success of some pilot work done within Somerset and Essex during the 2016 season. John Oates will be supporting the delivery of this initiative.
- CA One Day Event 2016 review and plans for 2017 (slides attached)
A discussion was held as to why we run CA One Day Events and the outcomes that they achieve.
The Forums were asked the following three questions
1) Did they want a CA One Day Event in 2017 which would be the same format as previous years?
2) Or, did they want a CA One Day Event in 2017, which followed a different format that include regional meetings during the day?
3) Or, did they want to revert back to the old style CA regional Forums (during October 217)
The general consensus was that we should continue with the CA One Day Events as they provide support, motivation, best practice, new ideas, and a network which allows delegates to be around like minded people and share views and challenges.
The 2017 event is most likely to take place in November following the CA National Conference in October.
- Growing the CA through insight (slides attached)
An update of the current membership was circulated that shows a decline in membership over the last few years. It was recognised that fewer people attending and becoming qualified at Level 2 and the challenges faced around DBS were not direct problems of the CA‘s albeit they did have a huge impact on membership numbers. It was also recognised that the CA’s did the best they could with the resources they had to support recruitment of new members and to support the renewal process.
The coaching landscape has changed massively since the conception of the CA in 2001. The topics of dwindling membership numbers and new membership categories have been discussed at length in recent times.
We have embarked on an exciting piece of insight work that will support the future direction of the CA.
We have appointed Two Circles to work with on this project. TC are a Sports Marketing agency based in London. They have worked within sport for many years and have been at the heart of the ECB’s Recreational National Playing Surveys, and bring with them a great knowledge of cricket.
At this point it is envisaged that the Insight will be concluded at the end of May 2017 and the feedback will be presented to the project group for their consideration and further implementation.
- Clothing and Equipment update (slides attached)
New Balance now have exclusive rights for ECB England Teams kit supply and have expressed an interest in supporting the CA with its future apparel range. Barrington’s would work closely with NB and provide the apparel distribution and equipment resources. NB have first refusal of the CA kit supply.
Discussions held on the proposed kit range were varied, however, a strong steer suggested that we need to have a top to bottom connection throughout the game and this could be done by providing CA members with the same “training clothing” that will be worn by the England Coaches.
Conversations with NB are ongoing and any feedback on the proposed “clothing offer” is welcomed via email to by Monday 3rd April.
- CA National Conference 2017 (slides and paper attached)
Based upon delegates and CA representatives’ feedback and recommendations from the National Forum we have developed a new proposition for the forthcoming conference which will be held at the iconic FA centre St George’s Park (Burton upon Trent) over the weekend of 28th and 29th October 2017. This year’s event “Change the Game” will be communicated to members electronically and will have an online application process. Locals CA’s have again been asked to support the selling of the event and will be provided with social media graphics to support them in doing so. A full conference programme is nearly complete and at that point the application process will be opened.
- ECB Coach Awards 2017 update (slides attached)
It was agreed that this initiative is a great way of saying thank you to those people who play an integral part in enabling cricket to happen in England and Wales. We need to ensure that we support this process and submit nominations as this forms part of the CA Minimum Activity required.
It was suggest that a good way to obtain nominations was by a local communication direct with clubs during the summer months. Nationally we would support CA’s with marketing materials by forwarding them the PR of this year’s nominations on pitch presentation photographs and comments received.
- Any Other Business
To be dealt with separately to this communication.