Number one participation state in Australia

During the 2012-13 season, Cricket Victoria (CV) enjoyed a 3.22% increase in participation with more than 285,000 participants involved in the sport across the state.

The figures revealed 285,560 people participated in cricket in Victoria in 2012-13 – inclusive of coaches and umpires – with strong growth recorded amongst the Extended Skills Program (53.76%), MILO in2CRICKET (28.82%) and Indoor Cricket (12.44%).

Female participation increased by 8.82% to a total of 42,760, while accredited coaches grew by 16.10% to a national high of 5,497.

CV Chief Executive Officer Tony Dodemaide said the figures reinforced the organisation’s commitment to substantially increasing participation within Victoria.

“The strong growth was in line with our strategic plan and it was particular pleasing to see the healthy rise in female and entry level participation,” Mr Dodemaide said.

“A key measure within the strategy for Victorian cricket is to be the leading participation state in Australia and this is confirmed within the Australian Cricket Census figures.

“It’s an exciting period for cricket with the return Commonwealth Bank Ashes series on the horizon, the up-coming ICC World Cup 2015 including the Final at the MCG and the transition of the KFC T20 Big Bash League on to free-to-air television for the  first time.

“We are working towards further participation growth and implementing initiatives such as the Play Cricket campaign is central to our participation plans for 2013-14 and beyond, with the strategic goal of achieving 340,000 formal participants by 2015.

“Pleasingly, Victoria is also the national leader in the utilisation of the MyCricket competition management system with 98% of clubs and associations now on board. 

“This allows for greater assessment of trends in participation, while assisting cricket administrators and volunteers in managing the various competitions across the state.”

The Australian Cricket Census also revealed that a record 951,933 participants played cricket nationally during 2012-13 – representing an increase of 8.20%.

In a sign of cricket’s growing popularity among women, female participation grew a further 18.8% to 178,416 and has almost doubled over the past four years.

While there was a national rise of 1.7% for club cricket, Victoria experienced a loss of 4.98% and arresting the trend remains paramount to CV.  

“Cricket Victoria remains acutely aware of the importance of retention in the game,” Mr Dodemaide said.

“We will continue to work closely with our clubs and associations to implement strategies that encourage many of these participants to transition into club environments and to enjoy a long-term relationship with the game.

“This includes promoting our message of ‘Harmony in Cricket’ to ensure a welcoming and inclusive cricket environment to all.”

Background to the Australian Cricket Census

The 2012-13 Australian Cricket Census is the 11th analysis of cricket participation.

A ‘participant’ is defined by the Australian Cricket Census as someone who participates in at least four sessions of a formal cricket program.

The 2012-13 census has been compiled by specialist researcher Street Ryan, with the cooperative efforts of Cricket Australia and each of the eight state and territory cricket associations.

The organisations are responsible for recording the number of programs, teams and registered players within their state/territory for each cricket program area.

Cricket Australia’s junior participation programs are supported by the Australian Government via the Australian Sports Commission.

The Government support aims to get children healthy and active through participation in sport.