Who are we?
Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club (CSNICC) was formed in 2004 as a merger between the Civil Service & North of Ireland clubs. It is a successful, vibrant cricket club situated within the picturesque Stormont Estate in Belfast with men’s, women’s and youth sections. The club has two squares; the front main square and a smaller back square, as well as a three lane nets area.
CSNICC plays competitive cricket in the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) in various league and cup competitions and can accommodate all levels of playing ability with 5 men’s, 2 women’s and 6 youth teams.
CSNICC is a registered charity with the intended aim of promoting healthy activity to all members of the community through the game of cricket. We are always delighted to welcome new members and players to the club. We currently have 160 male and female members of all ages and abilities, from 5 years old up, and are looking to extend our reach to the wider community through engagement with local schools, clubs and businesses.
Our Youth System
We have an excellent youth system with approximately 90 junior members actively engaged each week. They are coached by qualified coaches with a strong emphasis on development and enjoyment. The club is dedicated to providing opportunities for all children to get involved in cricket, whether this is competitive or social. We currently have six youth teams (U11, U13, U15, and U17 boys along with an U15 and U17 girls teams) – these teams compete in league and cup competitions as well as playing a few friendlies each season. Our club motto is “Everyone can play” and we ensure that we are inclusive of all abilities and backgrounds. CSNICC is dedicated to ALL members getting to enjoy the great game of cricket through the opportunity to practise, play, and socialise.
Why are we crowdfunding?
With additional costs incurred in recent seasons (and fewer sponsors), CSNICC is seeking support to undertake its ambitious community outreach plans. The benefits of playing cricket go far beyond merely physical activity (although that is of course important). There is an opportunity to learn new skills, socialise whilst meeting new people and to engage in a new community. As mentioned above, CSNICC is a registered charity with the intended aim of promoting healthy activity to all members of the community through the game of cricket.
How we’ll spend the money raised
CSNI Schools Programme
Over the past year we have started to re-establish our schools outreach programme which was previously in place before COVID. We are looking to further develop and fully establish our schools outreach programme within primary and post-primary schools within our community in 2025 and beyond. CSNI will deliver cricket sessions during curriculum time in primary schools within the Dundonald, Ballyhackamore and East Belfast areas as well as offering extra-curricular opportunities in post primary schools within our catchment area. As part of this initiative, we will deliver to local girls’ schools, local boys’ schools and local mixed gender schools to ensure we are increasing both our male and female youth membership from Under 9 right through to Under 17 and aim to continue to build our girls and boys youth teams which successfully participate in NCU competitions.
This outreach programme (within both traditional and non-traditional cricket playing schools) will give more local young people an opportunity to be physically active as well as giving them exposure and an opportunity to engage in a potentially new sport. In addition to this, the programme will give these young people an opportunity to join a local sports club to further develop their skills, engage in physical activity, to socially interact with other young people and to become a member of a sports club to start a journey of lifelong participation.
Girls Cricket Sessions
Having started a senior Women’s team in 2016 and expanding this to a Women’s 2nd XI in 2022, we have started to build a junior girls’ section by delivering girls only cricket sessions on Wednesday evenings thus increasing female youth membership. We aim to field junior girls’ teams at Under 13, 15 and 17 levels over the next number of years which will ultimately feed into our very successful senior women’s teams. In addition to this we are expanding our reach by delivering cricket taster sessions to our neighbouring ladies hockey club to give more women and girls an opportunity to experience the game of cricket.
Community impact
CSNICC is very much a member of the wider community. We believe that we have a role to play in providing an organised physical activity where everyone is welcome no matter of age, background or ability.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!