Sport can bowl you over - Mixed Ability Cricket

How can sports at community level be inclusive and increase adult partispation rates Using the Mixed Ability Model we look how a grassroots cricket club provided this oppertunity.

Comment

Cork County Cricket Club are actively seeking to involve all the community to play the game of cricket and as a grassroots community club it understands that cricket competes with high profile sports for its membership. Looking at creating an introductory social team for adults that was inclusive for all they looked to the mixed ability sports model to provide this opportunity. This gives the opportunity for adults with or without a disability to play cricket with out categorising or adaptions to the game. With the support and experience of International Mixed Ability Sports Ireland the club have been hosting weekly Mixed Ability Cricket sessions with 30 plus participants with or without disabilities. Cricket as a sport is a safe activity in these covid times, getting people active, connected in a fun environment is more important now than ever. Cricket like many sports can feel closed off to people that may never have experienced it before. If you are disenfranchised from society because of race, religion, background, sexuality, or disability it is hard to engage in sporting activity and like wise it can be harder for community clubs to reach out. The mixed ability model is the bridge for those that are disenfranchised from activity and those sporting clubs to engage all in their community. By using the mixed ability model, the sport of cricket is promoting inclusion with providing mainstream sport opportunities for people of all abilities. In doing so it is supportive art. 30 of the UNCRPD (2006) and SDGs 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 10 (reduce inequalities). To the regular club member what they see is the opportunity to widen their club’s membership and belonging to all members of the community. Mixed Ability Cricket being within Cork County Cricket Club is a first of its kind in the sport of cricket in Ireland if not globally. It identifies the demand for real meaningful sustainable inclusion in sport in line with SDG's. With the transferability of the Mixed Ability Model across sports it represents a real opportunity for NGB's and community clubs in sport to work with International Mixed Ability Sports Ireland to increase participation with a pathway for inclusion.

Built With

  • community
  • inclusion
  • sport
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