The Yorkshire CCC Performance Pathway team recently presented Yorkshire’s Pathway vision, aims and objectives to players and parents and detailed how they intend to achieve it at a recent playback session at Headingley. The team set out a visionary and ambitious plan for the future to help ensure Yorkshire’s Pathway is the best in the world.
As a club, we have listened to everyone and taken on board where people felt we needed to improve. We’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to contribute and share your views so openly – it really is massively appreciated.
We heard consistently that, in regards to the Pathway, Yorkshire can:
• Improve our communication across the Pathway
• Do more to improve every cricketer to enable them to be the best they can be
• Make everyone feel a part of Yorkshire County Cricket Club
The feedback has helped shape the vision, which is:
“To provide an experience and structure that we are all proud of, where all are left with a long-lasting love of cricket and Yorkshire CCC and where players can develop to be the best cricketer they can be for Yorkshire & England.”
And the objective is now “to have the best talent pathway in world cricket, that is Player-Centred and Feelgood.”
The six aims of our Pathway going forward are:
• Create and maintain an over-supply of cricketers that are equipped to perform for Yorkshire CCC and England
• Develop players that are fit, robust and mentally strong enough to cope with the demands of professional sport – who are also great people, who love cricket and who are proud to play a “full role” in the Yorkshire cricket family
• Develop players who become highly skilled match winners that put the team first
• Provide a high level of support to enable players to move into other careers – not everybody will be a professional cricketer
• Develop every player to be the best cricketer they can be
• Ensure players have a lifelong love of cricket and Yorkshire CCC
The plans in the months and years ahead will be set around delivering improvements against each of these six aims.
So, what will happen in the months ahead?
1. How will we improve communication?
• Provide a central ‘landing page’ for the Performance Pathway on the YCCC website, displaying all key information and policies for parents and players
• We have appointed a dedicated Operations Manager for the Pathway to centralise and professionalise our communications
• Communicate information of fixtures earlier to help families plan their lives and provide gaps for holidays where possible
• Clearly communicate our Performance Framework, so parents and players throughout the Pathway (and those wishing to work toward it) can see the basis on which they are being assessed on and what they should be aiming for
• Provide consistent, relevant communication, making life easier for parents and players
2. What are we doing to ensure players have a lifelong love of cricket and Yorkshire CCC?
• Every player to represent Yorkshire in the Age Groups will receive their own Yorkshire cap
• Every Yorkshire player will get a chance to play on the main pitch at Headingley (3rd/4th September this year)
• All players across County and Regional Cricket will receive a YCCC Junior Membership free of charge – so they can come and watch the first team whenever they would like
3. What are we doing to develop every player to be the best cricketer that they can be?
• Better Performance ID
o More players in the Pathway – for longer
o Make more informed decisions, based on our Performance Framework
o Widen the pathway, including a strengthened U10 & U11 Regional system and a move from season-long squads to match-day squads to allow more fluidity between CAG and Regional and provide more opportunities for performing players
• Better Performance Development
o Extension of the Emerging Players Programme down to U13
o More High-Performance Coaches to provide dedicated and skill-specific coaching
4. What are we doing to make the pathway more affordable?
• No more match fees
• Provide free kit for all County Age Group players and a free shirt and cap for all Regional players
• Make all Regional and Performance winter training free to all players
We are all incredibly grateful to everyone for sharing their thoughts and feedback with us – it has been the CRITICAL input into the plan and will continue to be for years to come. Playing for Yorkshire is an honour, and those proudly playing with the Rose on their chest and their supportive and hard-working families should always feel able to play their part in developing and guiding our great club into the future.
The presentation given is available to download here and our team are available to contact if you have any questions.
James Martin – Head of Boys Performance Pathway – [email protected]
Jack Stockdale – Performance Pathway Operations Manager – [email protected]
The team will be conducting another review with all players and parents at the end of the season, but between now and then, like you, we are really looking forward to seeing the boys out on the grass enjoying their cricket!
