Yorkshire Cricket is a finalist for five awards at the prestigious Business of Cricket Awards (BOCA) 2024.
The annual awards recognise and reward First Class Counties and MCC personnel who work tirelessly to show influence, insight, and innovation, taking the experience of cricket for its fans beyond.
Yorkshire Cricket is a finalist in the following categories:
- 2024 Best Development or New Facility under £500K
This award will be given to the venue that can demonstrate the largest impact from a project under 500k.
As part of Yorkshire Cricket’s continuing efforts to make Headingley Stadium the most accessible and welcoming cricket ground in the country, this year, the Club identified the need to offer a gold-standard sensory room for spectators at Headingley who have neurodiverse needs.
Following the Club’s work with the Shippey Campaign, the new Sensory Room, provides a safe and quiet space to support those living with neurodiversity, and was opened in the Pavilion in May.
Pictured, The Shippey family at the opening of the YCCC Sensory Room at Headingley Cricket Ground.
- 2024 Best Digital Creative Content
This award celebrates the creative aspect of a campaign or piece of content, showing either multi-channel performance and impact or if single channel, suitability to and impact on the channel where it was published.
This year the Club launched its innovative Yorkshire Vikings and Northern Diamonds ‘Design The Shirt’ competition – giving the public the opportunity to design the shirts that their heroes and heroines took to the field wearing in 2024.
Alongside this the Yorkshire Family showcased a special kit for YCCC and the Northern Diamonds, which celebrated and showcased the recreational game across the region. The Yorkshire Kukri kit incorporated 632 clubs across the county – who are affiliated with the Yorkshire Cricket Board – and the Northern Diamonds Kukri kit incorporated all affiliated clubs with a women’s and/or girls section across Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.
- 2024 Community Engagement Campaign of the Year
This award celebrates cricket’s connections with the local community and wider society.
In 2024 Yorkshire Cricket showcased a commitment to engaging with the local Pakistan community, alongside women and diverse communities, for this landmark T20I series against Pakistan at Headingley.
Through hosting the first ever Women and Girls’ Cricket Conference, being part of the first National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition, launching a Women in Sport network and fantastic support from the recreational game in the region, local communities and organisations, Yorkshire Cricket brought an innovative and inclusive approach to community engagement leading up to and during this record-breaking event for the county.
Vitality T20 International Series – England Women v Pakistan Women – Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds, England – Pakistan fans.
- 2024 Most Welcoming & Inclusive Stadia
This award celebrates venues who have engaged with new and diverse audiences in their community and encouraged them to engage with their venue, championing new projects to meet their needs and breaking down barriers that have stopped them visiting previously. Projects and initiatives could include access, family, gender, religion, ethnicity and identity.
Yorkshire Cricket continued to take positive strides in 2024 to make Headingley a ground for everyone. This included a number of innovative upgrades to its match day operations and facilities, such as a world-class sensory room following the Club’s work with the Shippey Campaign, implementing award-winning Safeguarding practices and Safeguarding hub on matchday, in addition to the very best spectator services delivered by the dedicated team of volunteers – the Yorkies.
- 2024 Sustainability Campaign of the Year – Energy Saving
This award recognises the outstanding work that has led to a club delivering significant positive impact with respect to the conservation of resources and elimination of waste. The interventions will have demonstrable positive impacts on the triple bottom line (People, Planet, Profit) and influence staff and fans to change their behaviour in this space.
This year the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation continued to enhance accessibility and champion sustainability through the charity’s pioneering Cric-Kit scheme.
The Cric-Kit recycling programme was launched in partnership with Zero Waste Leeds, who run the Together for Sport initiative.
Cric-Kit has helped transform the way Yorkshire and the entire UK view sports clothing and has fostered a culture of giving, recycling, and reusing sports gear, all while breaking down barriers to community participation.
The winners will be announced at the BOCAs 2024, at Edgbaston Stadium, on Thursday 14 November.
