Canterbury College students now have a unique opportunity to access world class cricket training when we launch our Kent Cricket Coaching Academy.
In partnership with the club’s community partner, EKC Group, we have developed an exciting new program that allows learners to improve their cricket and coaching skills alongside the team at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.
Students can draw on the talent of the club’s coaches and players, and also enjoy matchday experiences and the stadium’s professional fitness and training facilities.
The Kent Cricket Coaching Academy will particularly complement, but is not limited to, those on the Sport National Extended Diploma Level 3 in Sports Coaching and Development course. The ability to enroll in the Academy will be extended to students at the new EKC Sixth Form College, also based at Canterbury College.
In fact, the whole group will benefit because as part of the Academy, future coaches will have the opportunity to create and deliver fun coaching sessions for the primary schools of the Multi-Academy Trust, EKC Schools Trust. This collaboration between colleges and schools has already proved fruitful, leading to successful inter-school football and cricket tournaments.
Victoria Copp-Crawley, Headmaster of Canterbury College, said: “We are delighted to be working with Kent Cricket to offer young people a fantastic and unique opportunity to join the Kent Cricket Coaching Academy. We will combine an outstanding educational experience with a professional sports coaching and performance program.
“We are passionate about bringing sports enthusiasts to experience professional sport at Kent’s state-of-the-art cricket facilities, with professional coaches, players and facilities, while also providing education through a career coaching pathway or sixth form academic offering with First received -class facilities and teachers at Canterbury College.
“Students at Kent Cricket Coaching Academy have the opportunity to draw on first-hand professional training, match-day experience and community coaching engagement to support their progression and next steps into employment or university.”
James Reid, Head of Community Cricket at Kent Cricket, said: “We are delighted to begin this extension of our already strong partnership with EKC Group.
“One of our main goals at Kent Cricket is to make our game accessible to all and this is another step in the right direction for us. It is our hope that the barriers to playing cricket in our region will continue to diminish over the long term – access to top coaches and facilities is one of the barriers this coaching academy will break down.
“Obviously we hope that talented players, which we may not have seen, will have passed our age groups before they also come down this new path to cricket.”
