Coaching workshop to revive grassroots cricket

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ZIM­BABWE Cricket (ZC) and the Min­istry of Sport, Re­cre­ation, Arts and Cul­ture will conduct a five-day coach­ing work­shop at Bulawayo Athletic Club as part of ef­forts to re­vive cricket at the grass­roots.

Over 50 participants are expected to attend the course comprising school, dis­trict, ward and com­mu­nity coaches.

ZC facilitators, Trevor Phiri and Chris Phiri will conduct the workshop that starts on Monday and ends on Friday.

“We are tak­ing cricket to the grass­roots where we have tar­geted all dis­trict, com­mu­nity and ward coaches. Our main target is to train school coaches so that we have school children learning the correct aspects of the game at a young age. It is critical to have the game being played from grassroots level. I believe avibrant junior structure will improve the game in the country.

“The idea is that those we train must go and im­part their knowl­edge to their com­mu­ni­ties. We ex­pect these guys to con­duct work­shops and train­ing cour­ses in their com­mu­ni­ties. From there they will have to form clubs that they will take charge of.

This will ensure that cricket is played all over the city. At that point we will then need the cor­po­rate world to come in and help us spread this ini­tia­tive,” said the Bulawayo pro­vin­cial Sports of­fi­cer, Rita Kut­sir­ayi.

A similar workshop was held in the city last year with 24 par­tic­i­pants taking part in the exercise conducted by Fran­cis Rashikayi, ZC ru­ral cricket man­ager.
After that workshop ZC handed cricket equip­ment, in­clud­ing balls, bats and metal wick­ets to all five dis­tricts in Bulawayo. — @in­no­centski­zoe