Written question WQ91732

Our Term of Government remit letter to Sport Wales, supported by a budget of £39.2m in 2023-24, sets out our expectation that Sport Wales will promote equal access to sport, supporting young and talented athletes and grassroots clubs, thereby improving access and participation for all. The Member is already aware through my answer to WQ90442 that the Welsh Government provides funding to Sport Wales which in turn is used to support National Governing Bodies, sports organisations and individual clubs via a range of grant schemes and initiatives, including support for participation campaigns.

Cricket Wales runs several programmes focused on increasing participation for all ages, including the Wicketz programme, All Stars and Dynamos, and the Chance to Shine Street programme. Further efforts to support the growth of female participation include a partnership with the Girl Guides. Cricket Wales will also shortly be hosting their first big showcase event of Table Cricket, which is specially designed to give young people with a disability the chance to play and compete.

Cricket Wales is also making progress in growing the number of teams as transition from entry level programmes, with overall junior growth of 71% over 10 years. This has been particularly evident in the last year in the girl’s game, where there is a 35% increase in girl’s teams (91 teams) and girl’s sections are in place at a quarter of clubs (53 clubs). A key feature in the growth of participation can be linked to Activator & Coaching Workforce, which has increased by 23% in a year.