Following more than 12 months extensive research and consultation with coaches, teachers, administrators and other key cricket stakeholders, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) today released a document designed to help the future development of junior cricketers around the country.

The ACB Junior Cricket Policy provides direction for Australia's cricket associations, clubs and schools by establishing guidelines on important and complex matters.

The 30-page document covers six key areas relating to junior cricket development:

1. fostering access and participation for all players;
2. creating game formats relative to age groups and player development;
3. health and safety initiatives and injury prevention;
4. strategies for managing and growing junior cricket clubs;
5. the spirit of cricket and etiquette of the game; and
6. codes of behaviour for coaches, teachers, umpires, parents and players.

Part of the policy focuses on safety guidelines and strategies to prevent injuries, particularly to children. The safety guidelines include recommendations on the use of helmets, appropriate field placements, dealing with heat and humidity, and suggested workload levels for fast bowlers.

ACB Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said the introduction of the new policy was a major step forward for Australian cricket.

"Sport lives in a complex environment where duty of care, risk management and liability must be carefully addressed," Mr Sutherland said.

"In developing this policy, the ACB has taken a leadership role by establishing a framework that can be used to help manage the numerous complex issues related to junior sport.

"While clubs and associations are responsible for implementing their own junior cricket policies, we encourage them to consider the principles of the ACB's junior development guidelines, and adopt the relevant sections in their work.

"This will create a consistent and safe environment to develop young cricketers in Australia."

Mr Sutherland added that as custodians of the game in this country, the ACB has a role to ensure that the game of cricket is thriving now and for generations in the future.

"The development of initiatives such as this policy help make the first cricket experience enjoyable, which in turn results in people staying in the game longer," he said.

"Young players are the future of our game, so we take the responsibility of developing them very seriously.

"This includes instilling the values of the game, creating accessible pathways for participation, and monitoring player development in a safe and supportive environment," he said.

The ACB Junior Cricket Policy has been distributed to all clubs and associations in Australia.

© 2002 Australian Cricket Board

		Results - Forthcoming Desktop Scoreboard

Site Map | RSS feeds | Link to us | Help & feedback | Contact us | About us | Advertise | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

© Cricinfo 2009 Cricinfo is part of ESPN ESPN - Soccernet - Scrum - F1-live - Scorecenter