Chance to Shine’s mission is for all young people to have the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket. Inclusivity strikes at the very heart of what we do and is one of the values upon which the charity was founded.

We know that in order to achieve our mission we need to sustain and nurture Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) through every part of work.

Chance to Shine’s EDI strategy outlines the three outcomes we continue to strive for across our programmes, people and processes. This is underpinned by our EDI policy. It is supported by our work with like minded organisations, such as Nujum Sports, who we have partnered with to adopt a Muslim Athletes Charter.  

Our Commitments

Remove barriers to taking part in cricket
Making evidence based decisions as we seek to increase opportunities for under-represented groups

Reflect the diversity of the young people and communities we work with
Striving for diversity throughout our charity, and putting young people at the heart of our work

Foster environments where everyone can thrive, feel they belong and be themselves
Championing inclusive practices and working with like-minded partners

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Our Work

By its very nature our delivery is inclusive. Since 2017 we have delivered cricket in around half of state funded schools in England and Wales, and in total have reached over 6 million participants from the day we were founded in 2005. In addition, half of all young people playing cricket through Chance to Shine are girls.

Our Street cricket projects take cricket to areas where children have fewer opportunities to play and address key barriers that prevent young people from getting involved in the game; sessions are free, venues easily accessible and no specific clothing or equipment is required. Two thirds of projects are based in the most deprived areas of the country, whilst over 80% of participants are from minority ethnic communities.

You can read more about our programmes here.

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Case Study: Creating the Right Environment

On a Saturday morning, Thornton Heath Leisure Centre is a sea of smiling faces. Across four high tempo street sessions, up to 140 young people experience the joy of cricket every week. This was a distant dream back in 2016, when Asad Butt set up the project with fellow coach Harshil Travedi, to address the lack of cricket in the area.

“I was born and raised in Croydon,” says Harshil, “one of the reasons I started coaching was because I never had the opportunity, I had to go to the Oval to get coached.” There couldn’t be a better example of cricket being a game for all. The project boasts participants from across the globe, whilst coaches speak 5 different languages to ensure that communication isn’t a barrier.

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