How do we make cricket representative and fair? What happens at your school?

[Placido]

Just that really. I am sat listening to Azeem Rafiq talk to MP's in horror. I have a DD who loves cricket and am glad that she was born when she was, not thirty years ago when it would hardly have been encouraged for girls and she might have been teased for enjoying a 'boys' sport. But if sounds like the game of cricket is still not accepting people of colour without commenting/discrimination based on their ethnicity, how can that be in 2021 with such talented players? The All Stars program seems to have done good things for grass roots, but is this still a sport that favours white middle class children who attend private schools? Interested to know people's experiences with this sport in their DC's schools.

@Coroico97 You make lots of sense. And yes to preferring to coach the proper talent - I coach hockey and I get so sick of the Portia's and their whining mum's ('she likes to be in a pair with Arabella please' 'she doesn't like playing in defence' 'can I tell you about what happened in her school match this week') and the scarily competitive dads who roar from the side line (as if any of the children are listening to them!!) . I like the kids with the passion in their eyes who just quietly get stuck in and come alive during their sport. I feel sad that often they only get to play once a week and dream about giving them the opportunities they deserve, whilst Portia et al get so much more proper sport and don't appreciate it and are often cocky as hell for no reason apart from they think they are better. You sound fab and I am sure your children aren't like that but I am also sure you recognise my descriptions!

DS went to private school on a cricket scholarship, he started in our local cricket team at 4 years of age and it was an all white team due to the make up of our village but the private school had offered lots of scholarships from far afield and the racial make up was much more diverse because it was a specialist academy for cricket.

I'd say cricket is one of the more progressive sports in terms of starting children young and making it an enjoyable experience for all. We had a rota for transport to matches so it wasn't all on our heads to get him to every match. Kit was passed down from the older kids to the younger ones and the teams when they were young were evenly split between boys and girls. The girls tended to drop out as they got older whereas the boys tended to stay on and play into their teens.

I'd say for kids who aren't typically sporty or gifted at football (every boy where we live unless they go to grammar or private school play football rather than rugby or cricket) it's a fantastic way of getting them into an enjoyable team sport but it's on the parents backs to support and encourage it rather than the schools.

@Placido - if my children were like that I would be utterly horrified and disown them immediately. However, I have seen it all. I know EXACTLY of what you speak! I met some just last week. Hideouosly cocky - child and parent both. Makes me want to vom. And hit someone. But I have found that the further up you go, they get found out and they get ditched. Even at club level, to progress you have to have talent and however loud Tallulah's mum and dad are, Talullah WILL get ditched if she doesn't have the talent. Also, to be honest, when push comes to shove, would Tallulah's mum be prepared to sit in a car park eating a Tesco sandwich on her own every Saturday night for two hours to facilitate training?!

Hang on so we're talking about discrimination and it's ok to take the piss out of posh names because that's ok because they're posh / wealthy and by default spoilt? Is that not stereotyping?

@MrPickles73 I was talking about real children, using real names, referencing real conversations, noticing real attitudes, so yes, I'm comfortable with it thanks. And I say that as someone with a ridiculously posh name who attended private school from the age of 4.

I have a similar background to @Placido and I know what she means. But, of course that attitude is not universal and I am sorry to be clumsy as that was not the point I was trying to make - just that if you are in a club and you are talented you will rise to the top and (hopefully) will be helped to an extent along the pathway. I was also (badly) trying to make the point that not every parent (from whatever background) is able to put the hours in. I include myself by the way. Luckily there are two of us to share it.

Cricket Hockey & rugby clubs near us are all very inclusive. But post U12/Yr7 all the teams are dominated by private school kids as they are coached much more in school and do more PE & school matches.
State school kids are not equal

Really, nobody is ever going to get round the basic problem that youth sport is inevitably going to be dominated by those with extremely dedicated parents.

I'd rather we all focused attention on making sure kids have the space and opportunity for casual outdoor activity on their own terms.

What @Kokeshi123 says.
Add in hours of extra paid sessions & coaching, often on top of private school fees and the divide is stark