I am pleased to announce that Mustafa Shaikh has agreed to take on the role of Youth Cricket Coordinator. Mus (a L3 Coach and L1 umpire) has recently returned back home to Taunton after spending four years working for Cornwall Cricket Board - managing a cricket centre, coaching in schools and helping cricket clubs with their development planning.

In the short time he has been with us he has reviewed the current provision at the Deane working closely Mark Walker (Safeguarding and Club-mark Lead) and with Andy Lees and Hannah Hughes. He will also be contacting existing coaches, helpers and volunteers to assist him in formulating a plan for the foreseeable future.

As a Premier League Focus club affiliated to the Somerset Cricket Foundation (SCF), the club must regularly keep up to date in terms of policies and practices as determined by the recreational arm of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

What is clear is that we have an outstanding Youth section and if we are looking to maintain this, there is a need to increase the workforce to support our young players. Our current coaching and supervision ratio needs bolstering. A failure to act on this could compromise our status in the future and we would need to seriously review what opportunities we are offering our youngsters based on appropriate staffing levels.

To this end, Mus is looking to put an action plan together centring on increasing the workforce. If you are interested in supporting the Youth sections we need more:

Junior Supervisors - basically you help look after the young people at training sessions under the guidance of qualified coaches. Our supervision ratio needs lifting - Aged 8 and under 1 adult:8 children and Aged 9 and over 1 adult:10 children - all you would need is an ECB DBS check which we can set up.

Junior Age Group Manager -basically your help run matches/fixtures - some understanding of the game would be useful but again you just need an ECB DBS - which we can again we set this up.

Coach Support Worker - you are keen to help support the coaches and want to gain an insight into coaching - we are planning to organise a bespoke short course (3 hours plus a little online) via the SCF. This is likely to be preseason in 2023.The Deane would pay for your enrolment fee. See link below for further information about such a course.

https://www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/coaching/coaching-courses/cricket-support-coach

Cricket Coach
You are keen to get a formal qualification which the SCF would run. The Deane would pay your enrolment fee and we want you to repay the club by coaching with our youngsters. Dates to TBC around August time with courses likely to running in October - places are limited ; so, we need to act fast. All Club Coaches have to be ECB qualified - will need an ECB DBS/First Aid/Safeguarding Young Cricketers. See link below for details of what the course entails.

https://www.ecb.co.uk/foundation-coach

Young Cricket Officials
Mus is exploring options to run a bespoke TDCC YCO course with the SCF and Somerset Association of Cricket Officials.

This would be sometime in the preseason 2023.

The programme is aimed at giving 14–18-year-olds the key skills and confidence to umpire and score cricket.

This programme involves face to face training where you learn how to umpire and score and then put it into practice by playing matches. You’ll then be ready to go back to your club/school to put these new skills into practice and then be offered chances at festivals and tournaments where you will be mentored and supported.

It’s perfect for any 14–18-year-olds who are keen to learn more about cricket, help out at their local club/school or learn some valuable skills to use towards a volunteering scheme (such as Duke of Edinburgh).

https://www.ecb.co.uk/video/2142053/young-cricket-officials-creating-a-new-wave-of-officials

Please email Mustafa Shaikh muzzycricket@gmail.com with your name/ address/ email/ contact number so that he can generate a list of names keen to take on various roles - any queries please email him or call him on 07383090144 or chat to him next time you see him at the club.

Please respond as a matter of urgency especially for the Foundation 1 ECB Coaches course by 31st July at the latest.

Date for your diary:

Youth Presentation Evening with take place on Friday 9th September at the Clubhouse - 6pm start - details to follow.

Steve Nelson
Club Chairman