A first taste of cricket

With support from the state government, GLoBALL is a joint initiative run by Cricket Victoria and the Essendon Football Club and that uses sport as a vehicle to introduce international students to the Australian culture.

The first GLoBALL game coincided with the Melbourne Stars’ celebration of Harmony in Cricket when they hosted the Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG, while the second game saw the Melbourne Renegades defeat the Sydney Thunder at Etihad Stadium.

Cricket Victoria Community Programs Coordinator Aaron Wharton said the program was a success with over 200 participants taking up the offer across the two games with a wide range of nationalities among the students.

“We had students attending from traditional cricketing countries such as India and Sri Lanka to non-traditional cricketing countries such as China, Brazil and Poland, which was particularly pleasing as Cricket Victoria continually strives to make cricket more inclusive,” Wharton said.

On match nights, GLoBALL ambassadors also attended to guide students through their first game of cricket.

“Our ambassadors are passionate about cricket,” Wharton said.

“They helped students on the day by taking them into the stadium and then providing insight to the game such as explaining rules and introducing participants to cricket terminology.”

Earlier in the season, Cricket Victoria also operated introductory practical clinics at Charles Sturt University, Kangan Institute and Refuge of Hope where participants were given a taste of the game and received giveaways with the Melbourne Stars’ very own Star Man and the Melbourne Renegades’ Sledge on hand to encourage attendees.

“The clinics were well-received by all and gave the students their first taste of playing cricket,” Wharton said.

Cricket Victoria would like to thank the State Government, Study Melbourne, the Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades and Essendon Football Club for their contributions to the GLoBALL program.