Dear all,
We hope that you, your family and friends are keeping well during this uncertain time. The response from the cricket community has been overwhelming as people are thinking of new ideas to stay active and keep cricket in their lives.
With the changing situation surrounding Covid-19, we are continuing to work with the Government and Sport England to provide the answers that we know you are looking for during this uncertain time.
It remains critical that our decision making is medically led and informed by science and as a result, we are not able to provide all the answers at the minute. Please be assured that we are continuing to work through the questions we receive and will update you as frequently as possible.
National Programmes:
The safety and wellbeing of all people involved in cricket is our absolute priority and so whilst we continue to work through solutions, All Stars and Dynamos Cricket remain suspended. We are currently working through what this means for those who have registered for both national participation programmes and will be in touch within three weeks to update you.
We know that cricket can have a huge part to play in supporting physical and mental wellbeing of children around the country and we are working hard to find a solution which involves running courses later in the summer.
We are fully committed to doing the best for cricket and its communities throughout this unusual period. In the meantime, we are also exploring ways that we can bring cricket to homes across the country through indoor games, challenges and digital content and we look forward to sharing details with you soon.
We will be communicating a similar update with parents of participants in the next 48 hours.
EWCT Interest Free Loan Scheme:
The Trustees of the England and Wales Cricket Trust (ECB’s subsidiary charity) have agreed that loan repayments will be suspended until May 2021. All other terms and conditions remain in place. If you have any questions, please contact loans@ecb.co.uk.
Safeguarding:
The safety of our clubs and centres remains a priority. Whilst we have suspended all Safe Hands courses, we will be introducing an interim training package to everyone that needs it. Full details will be shared through County Welfare Officers.
We have had to make changes to the standard practice of Disclosure and Barring Service Checks but will be following the Government guidance on temporary changes which include:
DBS Certificates will now be able to be emailed to safe.guarding@ecb.co.uk instead of posting.
Overseas Certificate of Good Conduct will now be able to be emailed to dbs@ecb.co.uk instead of posting.
Access has been temporarily changed for ID verification to the top levels of access: ECB Staff / Regional Users / Primary County-Wide Users / Secondary County-Wide Users (which would include all County Welfare Officers & their deputies / Regional Programme Execs / City Programme Execs
ID Verifications will now be supported via video conferencing instead of Face to Face meetings
Competitions:
Following the announcement last week relating to the suspension of recreational cricket, cricket competitions will be suspended until further notice. Please be assured that we are continuing to work through the questions and what options there will be for running competitions at a later date. We will update you as frequently as possible.
Staying connected:
It is important to keep in touch and look after your cricket community, be they players, volunteers, parents, or members so that they are with you for many years to come. You will still have important decisions to make, and we face an extended period where there is extremely limited or no face to face contact with others.
In the short term, please check-in and look after your community (especially the vulnerable) using phone, WhatsApp, Facebook or other tools and try out a conference call facility for formal meetings - Best Conferencing Apps. As we move through this period, look at setting up virtual social sessions, such as quizzes or dinner parties, via conference call facilities. Whilst adhering to Government guidance please stay physically and mentally fit – there are lots of great online resources to help you. Please look after your cricket community.
This is new territory for all of us, and we’d like to thank you personally for your support and patience as we work through solutions. We will be in touch soon with answers to as many questions as possible.
England & Wales Cricket Board, Lord's Cricket Ground, London, NW8 8QZ
