Sport Northern Ireland: Creating Opportunities has provided £5,000 of match funding
Lisburn CC - Keep Cricket Going!
Lisburn, United Kingdom
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Aim
Lisburn CC wish to use this support to help continue cricket into the back end of summer, traditionally when the sport closes off seasonally
Who We Are
Lisburn Cricket Club is the oldest cricket club in Northern Ireland and the third oldest in Ireland, with a proud history dating back to 1836. Now entering our 190th year, we have grown into one of Northern Ireland's leading community sports clubs, providing opportunities for over 400 members and more than 300 young people aged 6–19.
Our thriving youth section caters for boys and girls of all abilities, providing a clear pathway from introductory cricket through to representative and international level. In recent years, our young players have achieved success on the national stage, winning multiple All-Ireland youth titles, while many have progressed to Northern Cricket Union and Ireland representative squads.
However, our greatest achievement is creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where young people can enjoy sport, make friends, develop confidence and build lifelong healthy habits. We continually look for new ways to improve the experience we offer our young members, and this project represents the next stage in that journey by expanding our summer programme, investing in our volunteer coaches and creating exciting opportunities that keep young people engaged throughout the cricket season.
Why This Project Matters
Summer is one of the most important periods of the year for youth sport. It provides children with the opportunity to spend more time being active, developing new skills and building friendships in a safe, structured environment.
In 2026, Lisburn Cricket Club is introducing an extended Summer Cricket Camp for the very first time. Moving away from traditional shorter camps, our new four-hour sessions will provide significantly more coaching, more match play and more opportunities for players to develop their skills, while also offering parents valuable childcare support throughout the school holidays.
Alongside the Summer Camp, we are also launching a brand-new late-season coaching programme running from mid-August through to mid-September. Traditionally, participation begins to reduce as young people return to football, rugby, hockey and other winter sports. We want to change that by creating an exciting end to the cricket season rather than allowing participation to naturally decline.
These additional sessions will provide high-quality coaching, team games, competitions and match opportunities that encourage young people to stay active, continue improving and remain connected with the club until the very end of the season.
Importantly, this project is about much more than simply delivering coaching. We are also investing in the future of our club by training ten new coaches through the Northern Cricket Union Level 1 Coaching Course, increasing the number of qualified volunteers who can support youth cricket for years to come. Alongside this, we will purchase new junior team kits and training equipment to create an exciting festival atmosphere during our additional August sessions and improve the overall experience for every participant.
This is an entirely new project for Lisburn Cricket Club and is distinct from our previous Creating Opportunities Crowdfunder. It focuses on extending participation, improving retention and building coaching capacity to create a lasting legacy within our youth section.
Our Project
Our project will create a complete summer cricket programme that combines participation, player development and coach development.
Through our new extended Summer Cricket Camp and additional late-season coaching programme, we will provide more opportunities for young people to enjoy cricket than ever before, while also strengthening the club's ability to deliver high-quality coaching into the future.
Our aims are to:
- Deliver our new four-hour Summer Cricket Camp throughout the school holidays, providing high-quality coaching, games and match play.
- Introduce an additional four-week coaching programme from mid-August to mid-September to keep young people engaged during the traditional end-of-season period.
- Provide specialist coaching across batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping to support player development.
- Deliver fun team competitions and festival-style matches using new junior team kits to create an exciting end-of-season experience.
- Train ten new volunteer coaches through the NCU Level 1 Coaching Course, increasing our coaching workforce and supporting the long-term sustainability of our youth programme.
- Invest in additional coaching equipment that enhances the quality of every session.
- Support local families by providing longer, structured activities during the school holidays.
- Increase player retention by ensuring young people remain excited and engaged with cricket before transitioning into our winter programmes and returning the following season.
Rather than allowing the cricket season to quietly finish, we want every player to leave the summer feeling excited about their progress, connected to their teammates and eager to return to Lisburn Cricket Club.
Project Budget
Item- Breakdown- Cost
Extended Summer Cricket Camp Coaching5-day Summer Camp (Monday 3 August – Friday 7 August), 10am–2pm each day (20 hours) × 5 qualified coaches × £20 per hour£2,000Additional End-of-Season Coaching Programme4 sessions per week × 4 weeks (mid-August to mid-September), 3 hours per session (48 coaching hours) × 3 qualified coaches × £20 per hour£2,880Coach Education10 Northern Cricket Union Level 1 Coaching Courses × £100 per coach£1,000Junior Team Kit Bundles4 complete junior team kit bundles for matches and competitions£2,000Training Equipment150 tennis balls for coaching sessions and skill development£150Total Project Cost
£8,030
How You Can Help
Your support will allow us to deliver an exciting new programme that benefits young people, families and the wider club both now and into the future.
Funding will help us to:
- Deliver over 68 hours of additional structured coaching through our new Summer Camp and late-season programme.
- Train 10 new qualified volunteer coaches, increasing our long-term coaching capacity and ensuring more young people can access quality coaching in future years.
- Purchase new junior team kits to create exciting festival-style competitions and provide a sense of belonging and pride for our young players.
- Invest in additional coaching equipment that will improve every coaching session and remain available for future generations of players.
- Support families through longer holiday provision that combines physical activity, learning and enjoyment.
- Keep more young people playing cricket for longer by creating an exciting finish to the season and reducing the traditional drop-off into winter sports.
At Lisburn Cricket Club, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy sport in a positive, supportive and inspiring environment. This project is about creating more opportunities, developing better coaches, retaining more young people in cricket and building a stronger club for years to come.
With your support, we can make summer 2026 the beginning of a new tradition—one that provides outstanding coaching, creates lasting memories and ensures more young people continue their cricket journey with Lisburn Cricket Club.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th September 2026 at 9:43pm