Ardmore Cricket Club – Member in Focus #23

January 27, 2021

Interview with David Bradley from Ardmore Cricket Club

Tell us a bit about yourself and/or your organisation.

I’m involved with Ardmore Cricket Club, as well as playing cricket we are focussed on developing our club into one that is inclusive for people of varying backgrounds. We run various coaching initiatives, and try to be a hub for all the community.

How well have you/your organisation adapted to the pandemic?

With difficulty…..our services are generally pretty hands-on – delivering coaching and playing matches. 2020 saw us operate on a smaller scale, following guidance from the government and Cricket Ireland. This led to shorter game formats, a shorter season and smaller group sizes for coaching activity. We also had to shelve some of our community outreach programs due to the restrictions. We found moving online difficult, with little or no real resources to do something effective.

How well have people/organisations in your area collaborated throughout the pandemic?

There was something of a mixed response, a few things that doubled up. But in general, the local community was supportive of each other and got through the worst of the restrictions. The easing in summer was helpful and we saw decent numbers at our sessions as well as watching matches within the restrictions.

What key needs are becoming apparent and/or are likely to arise this year?

Future-proofing activity is key, alterations to our building and ensuring that it is a safe environment. It is also important to plan ahead with flexibility around activities, trying to plan them so the delivery can be changed if needed is key for the future. Capacity and resilience building is also key moving forward for community groups to ensure they can survive any future lockdowns or restrictions.

ASK: What do you need, right now, that the members of Community Network NI and/or the wider community may be able to help you with?

We’d love to hear from anyone that may be able to help us with grant applications for funding, while we are generally doing well we have plans that for the future we may need help with to see come to fruition.

OFFER: What support are you currently offering and are you open to members of Community Network NI and/or the wider community making contact?

We can offer our facilities for use, our sports field has seen a rise in use for activities such as walking over the past few months. We are also looking to expand our building to be more open to disabled and female users, as well as this we are extending to include a small community gym. The hope is that we can offer more activity opportunities for people in our community.