The WA Cricket Foundation’s programs for people with a disability are experiencing tremendous growth, with a 30% jump in the number of participants in the past year.
Offering a safe and encouraging environment for children with disabilities to explore and learn cricket skills, Star Blast goes above and beyond in helping foster the next generation of young cricketers.
One such youngster is Jayden McCulloch, a 10-year-old thriving in the Joondalup-Kinross Junior Cricket Club program.
Jayden has level 2 autism, ADHD-inattentive and epilepsy. Which makes it difficult for him to feel comfortable when participating in mainstream sporting activities.
“There aren’t very many organisations that have a sport for children with differing abilities,” Jayden’s grandmother Janine Chilton says.
“The program here is so inclusive and the organisation adapts the environment to suit the child which I couldn’t ask for more.
“They prioritise the child with autism, they separate the kids in different activities so the children playing cricket can have a real focus on learning the skills.”
Having run their program for the past 12 years, Joondalup-Kinross Junior Cricket Club has steadily seen an increase in the number of kids signing up every year.
“Five kids started out in the first year,” Joondalup-Kinross JCC Champs Coordinator Helen Flint says.
“Each year we’ve had over 10 children participate, with 11 this year.
“The program is for kids who maybe don’t feel they could manage to play the way other kids play and who may not have to confidence to join them.”
The success of the program isn’t just measured in getting kids of all abilities outside and playing cricket, but in seeing the kids become more confident in themselves.
“Jayden’s body language and his confidence has benefitted from the program, he is relaxed at the club,” Chilton says.
“The guys do great warm-up sports that the children can participate in quite easily and have success with which is important.
“Each of the children are given equal opportunity because they are looked at for who they are, not who somebody wants them to be.
“Instead of changing the child to fit the environment, they change the environment to fit the child.”
Season 2023-24 saw 73 Star Blast kids participate within clubs who were supported by WA Cricket, through access to equipment and resources, and through Star Blast programs run by WA Cricket, 126 kids participated, with 39 participants being from the regions.
Flint says the support provided by WA Cricket Foundation and their generous donors is greatly appreciated to ensure the programs run each year.
“We would really like to thank the WA Cricket Foundation for their support, we couldn’t run these programs without them,” she says.
“Volunteers are hard to find, our club juniors help out where they can and we pay for a coach on a Friday to help with the program, any funding that we get is really appreciated to be able to keep the program going.
“Thank you and please keep the support coming.”
If you would like to make a donation to the WA Cricket Foundation click here, or reach out to one of our Foundation team members at enquiry@wacricketfoundation.com.au