The ACE Programme in Birmingham is now one year old. Over the Jubilee bank holiday an ACE Open Day was held at Handsworth Cricket Club to mark the occasion. The aim of the ACE (African & Caribbean Engagement) Programme is to increase participation in cricket by players with African and Caribbean heritage. At the ACE Open Day, a wide range of participants in the West Midlands ACE Programme were represented – from those coming to try cricket for the first time through to others on elite programmes, spearheading the ACE Academy and on the brink of stepping into the professional game. Whatever their level of experience, everyone enjoyed the special vibe at Handsworth Cricket Club – the cricket activities, the DJs and of course the legendary jerk chicken BBQ.
Eaton Gordon, WCB Community Participation Manager and ACE lead in the West Midlands, was delighted with attendance at the Open Day. “It’s been a successful day, with 38 of the 56 attendees today being totally new to the ACE Programme and experiencing it for the first time. Of the other 18 participants, 6 are part of our ACE Academy and another 12 already attend our community sessions. Everyone’s had a lot of fun. We are looking forward to welcoming back those who’ve come for the first time today and we can’t wait to see them at our ACE sessions on Monday and Friday evenings. It’s also been a great opportunity for elite cricketers on our ACE Academy to get together, share their stories and act as role models to inspire the next generation coming through. We have a real pathway here from participation in schools right through to the professional game, where players are supported at every stage.”
The Impact of the ACE Programme
In addition to Eaton, much of the success of the ACE Programme in Birmingham is a result of the tireless work by Jackie Buchanan at Handsworth CC. Jackie’s support in administration, publicity and recruitment has been invaluable in spreading the word about the ACE Programme, particularly in schools. There has also been plenty of opportunity for Jackie to develop good links with Chevy Green and his ACE team at The Oval. Jackie’s son Keiron is an ACE Coach in the West Midlands, so she is part of a strong family connection with the ACE Programme.
Jackie speaks passionately about the impact the ACE Programme has made on individuals, at Handsworth CC and in the local community. “I have seen those on the programme grow as people and cricketers. I can see the difference ACE sessions and the ACE Academy have made when they play for their club or county. The players are getting more input from coaches and are encouraged to write in their diaries what they would like to work on with their coaches. I can also see the positive effect being an ACE coach has had on Keiron – it has made him much more confident as a coach.”
“The ACE Programme has made a huge difference to Handsworth CC,” continues Jackie. “We have young people coming here from all over the West Midlands and as far away as Derbyshire. It’s great to see the club really busy on Monday and Friday evenings for the ACE sessions. For our community, it’s also important to give young people opportunities to get involved in sport and keep them out of trouble in an area where the crime rate is high. When you see the impact the ACE Programme has had after just one year, it’s amazing.”
Participation – Taking the First Steps
Levi is 13 years old and decided to attend the ACE Open Day because he enjoyed playing cricket at primary school but hasn’t had an opportunity to play cricket at senior school. “My younger brother heard about ACE at school and I decided to come with him as we live close by and I wasn’t doing anything today. I’m glad I came as I have really enjoyed coming today. I want to get better at cricket and spend time playing it. It’s fun to run around. When I played cricket at primary school, I was a bit of a big hitter, but now I would like to work on my bowling too.”
Julian is 10 years old and has been coming to ACE sessions at Handsworth for a year. “I have enjoyed the ACE sessions and have learnt how to bowl properly and get better at batting. I enjoy being with other children and I look forward to coming every week.”
Making Progress – Andrew and Teneisha
Ten year old Andrew is a regular attendee at Friday night ACE sessions. He explains how he has benefitted from being part of the ACE Programme. “I love being active and my mum does lots of activities with me. When I come to the ACE sessions, I can also make new friends and I feel very grateful for this experience. I enjoy coming here and they teach us really good stuff. Before I came here, people used to bully me because I couldn’t catch a ball. I was always last to be picked on a team. Now I’ve learnt in ACE sessions to catch a ball well and I’m first to be picked at school. People say to me now ‘How did you get so good at this?’”
Andrew’s mum Taneisha talks about the positive relationship she and Andrew have forged with the ACE coaches and Handsworth CC as a result of Andrew attending the ACE sessions. “For me, this benefits us a lot. I feel welcome here. Andrew is a shy quiet person, but these ACE cricket sessions help him to develop his voice. Coming here is a sanctuary for Andrew. He has started to listen better, and he helps at home more because he is looking forward to coming here and has such a great relationship with the coaches.”
Development of County Age Group Cricketers
Toby (aged 11) and Sam (aged 10) During are talented County Age Group cricketers at Warwickshire CCC. They have been with the ACE Programme for six months, after their mum Jo discovered it through Sky Sports and founder Ebony Rainford-Brent’s social media. The programme sounded interesting to the family, so Jo emailed Eaton Gordon to find out more details. Due to their young age, the boys’ participation has also included ACE sessions at The Oval (as the Birmingham Academy programme focuses on the 14+ age group). The During family describe how Chevy Green showed them round The Oval and made them welcome. They have also met Ebony Rainford-Brent and are full of praise for the way she engages with the participants and is visibly excited to see their progress.
Sam describes the opportunities the ACE Programme have provided him with to train with and test himself against older players. He says this has built up his confidence when playing in his own age group, for example getting used to facing faster bowlers. Toby has had a similarly positive experience, explaining how Birmingham ACE coach Recordo Gordon taught him to throw the ball properly during an ACE session and then Toby was able to put his new technique into action straight away the following day with a great throw to achieve a run out in an U11 internal game.
Both boys and their parents discuss how much the boys have enjoyed the coaching on the ACE programme. Toby and Sam report that the sessions are hard work (even the warm up is intense) but they can really see the improvements as a result. They also appreciate that the coaches and staff are all very welcoming and encouraging. Their dad, Vinnie, is impressed at the high energy levels at the sessions and the unique atmosphere they create. “We as parents feel proud of the boys for the work they are putting in,” Vinnie continues, “But you can also feel the pride from the coaches.”
Mum Jo agrees, observing, “The meticulous attention the coaches give each individual participant. The coaches really are invested in each child.” Both parents agree that the ACE coaches provide great role models for the boys. The boys look up to Keiron as a role model and their parents stress the importance of the boys seeing role models they can identify with.
ACE Academy Successes
Eaton Gordon is delighted with the progress Connie Squire-Wood (aged 14) and George Dyche (aged 17) have made in the ACE Academy. When discussing their development, both players mention the key role Eaton Gordon has had in guiding them towards and within the ACE Programme. Connie describes how her dad found out about the ACE Programme from Sky Sports last summer and messaged Eaton to get Connie involved.
At the time, Connie was playing U13 county cricket at Warwickshire but not quite getting into the county team, spending two seasons in the development squad. Having trained with the ACE Academy all through last winter, Connie has now moved up into the U15 county age group and into the full county team. When asked if her progression from the development squad into the county team is a result of having been on the ACE Programme, Connie’s answer is an emphatic, “Absolutely! The ACE Programme has given me the confidence I needed. The challenging sessions have made me a much better fielder, for example, than I was before.”
George Dyche agrees with Connie that the challenging fielding ACE sessions have improved his game. “We work really hard, but we have fun at the same time. I started with the ACE Academy during the winter, around the time I was diagnosed with a stress fracture. I haven’t been able to bowl since then, but the ACE sessions have given me a chance to work on my batting. It’s great for me to be able to play cricket with other black cricketers and meet people from lots of different communities.”
Beyond the ACE Academy
Davina Perrin (aged 15) and Amy Wheeler (aged 16) are examples of cricketers who have been involved in the ACE Programme in the West Midlands as they simultaneously take the important steps towards the professional game. Davina has played several times for Central Sparks since coming in at number 3 and playing a very assured innings just weeks after her 15th birthday. Amy is an established member of the Lightning Academy in Loughborough.
Davina talks positively about the role the ACE Programme has played in her development towards professional cricket. “It’s a very relatable environment, and I see other people around who look like me. The ACE Programme has filled a gap I didn’t really know was missing, and I know lots of other Academy players feel the same. It’s introduced so many people to cricket, whatever their background, and reintroduced some players in Birmingham who had quit because they didn’t feel comfortable where they were before. Now these players have found their love of the game again.”
Amy lives too far away for regular involvement in the ACE Academy at Handsworth CC, but she has followed the group closely on social media. “I watch the Instagram stories and I can see how people are developing and improving. I can also tell they are enjoying themselves. When I attend the sessions, I feel part of a group that wants to play together. The friendships we are making are important and make the sessions fun rather than just a purely competitive atmosphere. The whole point of playing cricket is to enjoy it, so the ACE Programme is giving people a better chance to carry on.”
Both Davina and Amy talk of the importance of having strong role models as they develop as cricketers. Amy cites Josie Groves in the Loughborough Lightning squad as one of her role models, after breaking into the senior squad recently. A little shyly, Amy also admits that Davina has been a role model to her, despite actually being a little younger. “I look at Davina and I think to myself ‘I want to bat like that’. It’s just the way she plays and the energy she has.”
Davina too talks fluently about role models, particularly Ebony Rainford-Brent, founder of the ACE Programme and the first female black cricketer to play for England. “She’s broken a lot of boundaries. Ebony is an influential woman and someone who inspires me to be like her. When I first found out about her, it was amazing to see someone who looked like me with a bat in her hand and an England badge on her shirt.”
A Special Partnership
Ebony Rainford Brent, Eaton Gordon and their colleagues in the ACE Programme have inspired young people at every stage of participation in cricket – from those just starting their relationship with cricket to those like Davina and Amy who are on the watershed of the professional game. A year is a short time to have made such a deep impact on so many players. The partnership between the ACE Programme and Handsworth CC is a special one and is epitomised by the mum who arrived to register her daughter with Teneisha for the Open Day, anxious that her daughter hadn’t played before. Two hours later, the little girl was racing around all the activities as part of a large group of children and was reluctant to leave when her mother was ready to go. Laughing, Teneisha called over to her mother, “She doesn’t want to leave, does she? I told you that would happen!”
