Cricket

LV= and the England and Wales Cricket Board join forces for #Funds4Runs

Supporting community cricket when it needs us most

LV= are proud to announce that we’ve teamed up with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to create the #Funds4Runs community fund.

#Funds4Runs is a £1million community fund created to financially support areas of the recreational game that have been impacted by COVID-19.

Most notably this will include children from deprived backgrounds, diverse communities, disability groups, and women’s and girls’ sections.

Why has the fund been set up?

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on elite sport, but grassroots cricket has been hit particularly hard, threatening the survival of clubs that offer so much to the people who engage with them and support them.

Sport and physical activity can improve both mental and physical health, but can also help build stronger communities by bringing people together.

LV= has a long heritage in cricket, that extends back to 2002, when we were the title partner of the County Championship for 14 years.

With the challenges faced, LV= aims to support the ECB in connecting communities, building better lives through cricket and increasing the relevance of the sport in traditionally non-cricket communities. Ultimately this will help engage communities with cricket, either through participation, attendance or support.

How will our fund help support communities?

Five key areas across England and Wales will be helped, they are...

Cricket programmes for young people in deprived communities

We’ll be launching new schemes in new areas, and subsidised places for young people who may not otherwise be able to participate in cricket. This will give more young people the opportunity to play the game and create more diverse and inclusive environments to inspire the next generation.

Women's and girls' programmes

We're also supporting ECB's initiative to continue promoting and growing women and girls' interest in cricket.The goal is to make cricket available to everyone, by increasing the number of places available for women and girls in England and Wales.

Engaging diverse communities with cricket

Cricket has a unique opportunity to use its purpose of connecting communities and improving lives to make a positive difference in our modern and diverse society. We will fund initiatives which encourage a broader cross-section of communities to discover and share their passion for cricket by making playing the game more accessible. This will also include supporting opportunities to develop a stronger, more diverse volunteering workforce to underpin the delivery of cricket.

Disability cricket initiatives

Our funding will help support the ECB Disability Cricket Champion Clubs to provide regular cricket opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Initiatives will be designed to help clubs create time and space for disabled members of their community, supporting and encouraging those with different needs to enjoy playing cricket.

Innovation and transformation

We’ll fund projects to support communities and cricket clubs across England and Wales with the skills and tools they need to attract new, younger and more diverse audiences into cricket.

Ready to apply or want to find out more?

All you need to do is head to ECB.co.uk/Funds4Runs

#Funds4Runs launch video

View video transcript

ECB and LV= General Insurance are partnering together to deliver #Funds4Runs which will be delivering value back into cricket.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the cricket family. #Funds4Runs is all about providing more opportunities to people from the cricket family, connecting communities and improving lives.

England Men’s Cricketer, Ollie Pope, hosted a special session with school children in one of the most COVID-19 impacted areas.

Community projects really matter to us at LV= because our brand purpose is taking care of what you love in life. It’s about positivity and wellbeing and inclusiveness, and this community project really delivers on all of that. It’s closely aligned with ECB values too and if we can put our heart back into the community then that would be a good outcome.

I think the partnership is massively important with the ECB and LV=. At any sort of level, especially during this pandemic, the funding that’s going to be provided is extremely important to keep cricket going on around the country really.

There’s a real excitement about the number of young people getting involved in the sport. We are still really positive about the future of the game, and this support from LV= and the ECB is vital to that.

Funds4Runs!

#Funds4Runs Initiatives

All Stars expansion

#Funds4Runs will fund the expansion of the All Stars cricket programme to open new centres in urban areas and offer subsidised places for children aged 5-8. The first three programmes will launch in Canning Town and Hayes in London and Thurmaston in Leicestershire.

First Run

Digital engagement is vital to getting more young and diverse audiences into cricket, but clubs often lack the skills to be able to produce the assets needed. Working with the British Film Institute, #Funds4Runs will support cricket clubs across England and Wales to receive tools and training for clubs to better promote community cricket.

Women and girls

#Funds4Runs will support new programmes focused on making cricket more accessible to women and girls. These are currently in development, but information will be revealed soon... Watch this space!