Cricket rescue plan gets all-clear

FOOTY clubs are to blame for the decline of cricket across the greater Barwon region, Geelong’s Deputy Mayor has declared.

Councillors this week adopted the G21 and Cricket Victoria Barwon Regional Cricket Strategy, a 10-year plan to fix cricket amid falling participation rates and sub-par training facilities.

There has been a 3.6 per cent drop in participation rates across the region’s five cricket associations between 2015/16 and 2016/17 — with a 20.6 per cent drop in participation from players aged up to 11.

Deputy Mayor Peter Murrihy said the blame for falling participation rates fell at the feet of local football clubs, criticising the “insane pre-season training adopted by local AFL clubs” for keeping cricketers away.

Councillor Anthony Aitken also declared “cricket is dying in the G21 region” at the meeting, while Cr Ron Nelson said too many cricket clubs were “just boys’ clubs”.

Both councillors declared a need for cricket clubs to embrace more junior, female and inclusion opportunities.

The strategy was created to guide the future planning and development of cricket across the Barwon region to 2028.

The strategy identified improving the structure and governance of cricket in the region as a key priority, outlining five strategic priorities to achieve its goal: DEVELOP an aligned and collaborative structure to manage cricket; GROW cricket, its range of activities, club capacity and profile across the Barwon Region; MAXIMISE the capacity and activation of existing sites and align facilities with future need and demand; DELIVER and activate a Regional Cricket and Community Centre at Kardinia Park; and SECURE stakeholder support for strategy implementation.