A force to be reckoned with

Join NatWest Cricket Club Captain Michael Vaughan and help make a difference in your local community, says Sam Collins

“The game of cricket is always in need of volunteers at club level – from the youth coaches to the groundsman to the people making the teas. The game depends on it.” So says former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

He is now captaining a much larger team, the NatWest Cricket Club, which aims to generate £20 million worth of support by mobilising thousands of volunteers and businesses to help improve facilities in cricket clubs nationwide.

NatWest Cricket Club is free to join and more than 30,000 people have signed up. All members have the chance to gain rewards, with exclusive prizes, such as meeting England players, going to NatWest current account customers and volunteers.

Vaughan is delighted, but is keen to do even more. “The future of English cricket looks great,” he says. “There are plenty of coaches doing excellent work, but we need more clubs to sign up and we need more volunteers to get involved. We’re improving these clubs to give the local community and the next generation of players the best chance of enjoying the game through better facilities. Every single player that represents England comes through that system so it’s important that we keep our eye on the ball.”

Part of Vaughan’s role is to lead NatWest CricketForce, a volunteer programme that launched with one club in 2002, and by 2011 had grown to involve 1,914 clubs.

One club to benefit so far is Copley. The Halifax club has NatWest CricketForce Yorkshire County showcase status in 2012 as they seek to upgrade their pavilion.

“For us it’s been a gradual build-up over a few years,” says club chairman Richard Hoyle. “Now we want to get even more people involved as we work towards the completion of the new pavilion. We hope to use the 2012 showcase weekend in August to put the finishing touches to the pavilion with the help of volunteers, local businesses and community groups.”

There are plenty of other clubs who can testify to the power of an army of helpers. Sawley & Long Eaton Park Cricket Club in Derbyshire managed to attract over 200 local volunteers (including 30 NatWest employees) to help with improvements and refurbishments to their ground during the April weekend in 2011.

“NatWest CricketForce was the final piece of the jigsaw for us,” says volunteer manager Dave Dooley. “We’ve had some local grants, a small lottery grant and some money from the ECB to improve our ground over the years, but we needed more help and had run out of places to go. When the Derbyshire Cricket Board asked for project nominations, we submitted our details. We didn’t need money; all we needed was volunteers.

Vaughan was there that day and he was also at Copley as they raised £4,000 on the August fundraising weekend. “It was great fun,” he says. “I’ll be back over the next year to see how they’re getting on with the pavilion.”

Hoyle, meanwhile, has a message for clubs not yet signed up to NatWest CricketForce. “There’s no reason for a club not to be involved,” he says. “As a way of enhancing and promoting your club and bringing the community together, it can only be good news.”

The final word is Vaughan’s: “I can’t wait for bigger and better volunteer and fundraising weekends in 2012, and to see the general standard of club cricket improving because of what’s happened in 2011. Whoever and wherever you are, get down to your local clubs and help out.”

NatWest Cricket Club is free to join. Sign up today for exclusive access to members’ rewards and special offers – these vary from NatWest ODI Series tickets through to exclusive cricketing experiences.Join the Club at natwest.com/cricket.

Strength in numbers

In 2012, NatWest will encourage its local branches to work more closely with cricket clubs in their community.

According to Paul Davies, a local NatWest CEO who heads up a number of branches across Greater Manchester, it’s a chance for branch staff to get out into the community.

“We’ve had the use of local club facilities, including Whalley Range cricket club in Greater Manchester, and the staff have been able to help raise funds and donate plenty of volunteer hours which is one of our community commitments,” he says.

How can you take part in CricketForce?

Each year, CricketForce sees thousands of volunteers and NatWest staff help to rejuvenate more than 1,900 local cricket grounds ahead of the new season.

NatWest CricketForce operates primarily over two weekends that book-end the cricket season: this year, the first is 30 March to 1 April, and the other is the August bank holiday.

The first weekend is when the majority of practical work gets done then, in August, the NatWest CricketForce Fundraiser Weekend gives clubs the chance to raise money for future ground improvements.

In 2010, 150 clubs took part. That number more than doubled last year when 335 clubs raised around £324,000.

So, how can you and your club get involved? It’s simple: visit natwest.com/cricket to find out how to register.

If you’re not involved with a club, but can offer your time or skills to a local team, why not use our Club Finder to see who’s taking part in your area? You’ll find our easy-to-use CricketForce Club Locator tool on the website at natwest.com/cricket.

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