Platform Cricket
Developing London's children in and through cricket
About Us
Our Mission
- Give children access to safe, positive activity close to home
- Provide regular, structured sessions that build confidence and wellbeing
- Use cricket as a simple, enjoyable way for children to develop routine and trusted relationships
- Open the sport to children who wouldn’t normally access it because of location, circumstances or lack of family familiarity
- Work comprehensively across local areas — offering our programme to all schools and creating a clear pathway for any child to take part
- Support children and families by providing an easy, welcoming first step into the sport
- Support local clubs by growing their reach and diversifying their youth membership
What do we do?
- Deliver fun, progressive cricket sessions in networks of local primary schools (introducing cricket, our programme and our staff in a familiar, appealing way)
- Run inclusive inter‑school festivals that bring children together across neighbourhoods (building confidence, belonging and positive peer relationships)
- Establish welcoming, accessible community pop‑up clubs close to home (providing safe, reliable weekly activity with cross‑curricular learning and trusted adult support)
- Offer opportunities for children to continue their participation through holiday schemes (supporting families during school holidays and giving children structured learning outside term‑time)
- Support local cricket clubs to broaden and diversify their youth membership (linking our participants to club opportunities that sustain positive health and social habits)
- Provide specific support for naturally talented children through talent identification and bursaries (ensuring socially just access to performance pathways where ability is the only factor)
- Deliver a Coaching & Leadership programme for 16–21 year olds (grounding our activities in local communities and lived experience, while improving youth skills and employment)
Where do we do it?
We establish hubs across 2-3 wards that usually include 6-12 Primary Schools. They are usually focused on:
- Neighbourhoods with limited access to safe, positive activity
- Areas where children live far from cricket clubs or structured sport
- Communities where families have little familiarity or confidence with cricket
- Localities where schools welcome support to broaden opportunities for their pupils
- Places where our comprehensive model can reach all schools and create clear pathways for any child
What have we achieved so far?
Scale & Reach
- 470 schools engaged
- 23,256 children reached, including 18,188 new to cricket
- 1,607 children transitioning into weekly participation through Hubs
Who we support
- 39% from disadvantaged backgrounds
- 77% from ethnic minority backgrounds
- 57% male / 43% female
Physical Activity & Health
- 93% increased the amount of physical activity they do each week
- 48% now meet the Chief Medical Officer’s target of 7 hours of physical activity per week
- 91% recorded improvements in mental health tests
Community & Social Cohesion
- 85% significantly increased the time they spent with children from different backgrounds
- 76% reported an increased sense of pride in their area or neighbourhood
Why Cricket?
We believe cricket can play an important role in the contemporary, often complicated, lifestyles of young people in urban areas. The game has a traditional cross-cultural appeal, it is played at a pace that allows for greater socialisation than most sports, and there are roles that suit a complete cross-section of body-types.
Our programmes are mapped against our "Hit for Six" Framework, where we aim to instill and encourage the following skills and attributes:
1. RESPECT & SPORTSMANSHIP
2. BRAVERY & DETERMINATION
3. CONCENTRATION & PATIENCE
4. RESILIENCE & PERSPECTIVE
5. ANALYSIS & JUDGEMENT
6. COOPERATION & COORDINATION
PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Each week our coaches identify a PLAYER OF THE WEEK from the 4,000+ children we work with, as a recognition of their talent, efforts or improvement.
This week's PLAYER OF THE WEEK Award goes to Mali from Thornhill Primary School in Pentonville, Islington.
Mali has shown superb leadership with a great attitude, as well as being a naturally powerful batter and sharp fielder.