Glamorgan Cricket launched its Vitality Blast campaign with a T20 media day and engaging community event at Grange Pavilion in Cardiff yesterday.
World Number One test batsman Marnus Labuschagne was in attendance, as well as Club captain David Lloyd, local boy Prem Sisodiya and Welsh Fire women’s Georgina Hennessy.
The players met fellow cricket fans and took part in a Q&A and played cricket with local school children from Grangetown Primary School and Fitzalan High School.
The purpose of the event was to engage with members of the community and encourage more kids to get involved in the sport. It also raised awareness of the upcoming Vitality Blast, which will see Glamorgan take on the Essex Eagles in their first of seven home fixtures starting on Thursday, 2nd June at Sophia Gardens.
On attending the event, Marnus said: “It was fantastic to see so many children and members of the local community in Grangetown attend. From the smiles on faces, it looked like everyone had a great time and that there is a real passion for cricket in Wales.
“I know the club has done a lot of work over recent years to engage with the community and you can see it’s working. We want more kids from all backgrounds to take on cricket as a sport from a young age.
“The Vitality Blast is just around the corner and we want to play in front of big crowds and see the local community attend and cheer us on. The atmosphere will be electric and I can’t wait to see fans back in the stadium.”
Community and Development Manager, Mark Frost, said: “It was great to see so much interest in players like Marnus Labuschagne and Prem Sisodiya with the questions from the community.
“With the attraction of so many international level players coming to Sophia Gardens this summer and the amazing deals being offered into communities, we hope to have a more diverse audience that represents inner Cardiff where the stadium is based.
“We’ve also worked harder than ever to engage with schools and get children playing and engaging with cricket again. We’ve given out thousands of free tickets to schools like Grangetown Primary School and hopefully, it will inspire the next generation of Welsh cricketers.”
The club recently announced Mojeid Ilyas as their new Diversity Champion and Talent Scout who will work closely with diverse communities across Wales to increase representation in sport.
Mojeid added: “It’s fantastic to be able to hold an event like this in the heart of Grangetown and see so many from the local community attend.
“There's been a real buzz here throughout the event and there were a lot of very excited people when the players arrived.”
Glamorgan Cricket kick off their campaign against the Essex Eagles on June 2 with tickets available to buy HERE