Cricket thriving in the heart of Welsh communities: Our Community Work

An Exciting Match day experience:

• Every year we offer schools in Wales the opportunity for either a T20 or International Match experience. We will regularly keep Directors of Education informed about free invitation opportunities available to all schools. For all enquiries contact museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk.
• If you have feedback about our T20 Matchday experience please get in touch.
• During the championship and RLODC matches at Swansea Colwyn Bay, our schools offer extends for these matches.
• Match days: We also want Sophia Gardens to be a place where young people have a great experience. Examples of this are at our home matches where we will offer a fun zone and revamped family stand. We have also put together an exciting offer for schools who want to come to the T20 Blast home games, hoping that the family stand will be full of young people this summer.

Inspiring Learning days at the Stadium:

• As well as being the home of Welsh cricket, we want Sophia Gardens to be an exciting learning centre. An example of this is the BTEC Sports Studies course that started in September 2016 in partnership with Fitzalan High School and TVS Education. This offers a great opportunity for young people who want to find out about cricket, about sports management and to get a really good qualification.
• We extend our welcome to all groups and especially schools for a bespoke tour (which lasts approx. 90 minutes). Your tour will start with a welcome from your guide in the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket, where there is a range of fascinating cricket memorabilia, together with other information about the rich history of the game in Wales and interactive displays. You will then head across to the Pavilion to view the dressing rooms and other areas used on match days by the Glamorgan team, visiting players and the match officials. Your guide will then show you the state-of-the-art CCV Cardiff Media Centre, where you can see the television and radio commentary boxes, plus the press room where over a hundred journalists sat to watch the Ashes Test Matches in 2009 and 2015, besides seeing the commentary boxes where TV and radio commentators sat and described the action. Central to the visit will be a play session either in the National cricket centre, or if fine our lawn or if available the main outfield.
• We are endeavouring to become the first ever fully accredited cricket museum in the UK.

Cricket making a positive impact on our Community & Supporting Challenging Issues

We want to open the doors of the stadium further by engaging with groups to support their cause by using ‘cricket for good’ projects. Examples of bringing communities together include:

• classroom-based literacy activities looking at the history of cricket in your area;
• Supporting charities that help NEETs (not in education, employment of training). Here we help young people to gain confidence to become employable and also other significant causes that offer a 2 way relationship
• Supporting Parc Prison and Barnardo’s offering a range of cricket activities (team-building etc)
• Community Fun Days on our back lawn
• Working with families in deprived areas to encourage time credits and introduce them to T20 matches
• School Holiday Enrichment Programme where cricket can form one of the activities.

External Events

• Whether it’s an Eisteddfod or festivals in the summer we try to make visits far and wide. In the winter we visit our football and rugby colleagues’ stadia.

Sophia Gardens a Healthy Hub

• Glamorgan Cricket and some Cricket Wales staff are now Dementia Friendly trained as is the Stadium (see our certificates in reception). With support from Alzheimer's Wales, Public Health Wales and Ageing Well Wales we hope to set up a group to support those with dementia and onset dementia.
• A 'QR' code guided stadium walk permanent signage is now in place around the stadium linking in the heritage of the game with a visit to the stadium. Do have a walk and scan with your phone www.glamorgancricket.com/selfguidedtour
• We are working with Welsh Cycling and Pedal Power to support some disability groups to learn to cycle under the Fosters Stand.