At a star-studded ceremony in Melbourne AUCC won the Award
of 2018 Premier
Cricket Club of the Year at the Cricket Australia A Sport for All Awards.
Club Chairman Stephen Dickinson and Club Head Coach Ben Hilliard were
both on hand to collect the award that was presented for our commitment to establishing a strong women’s program
focused on learning, improving and retention. The club has a firm focus on
inclusion demonstrated by their commitment to introducing international
students from non-traditional cricket countries to the game.
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SACA who nominated us for the award commented, " It's great to see Adelaide Uni getting the gong here – well done! Deserved
recognition for the mountains of work you and your team have undertaken over
the years".
AUCC has created
sustainable participation in cricket through the ongoing development
of its players and its facilities.
The introduction of a
women’s development team in the newly established ATCA Women’s competition has
now established an internal pathway for female players. The side has offered
more opportunities for beginners to get involved in the game and some of these
players have already been selected for matches in the higher SACA side.
AUCC Representatives David Penn, Rosemary Penn, Joleen Hall, Bonny Miller and Joanne Hedges receive the SACA Club of the Year Award
The club encourages its
players to undertake coaching accreditation courses so they can provide
coaching to other players at AUCC and other clubs. Members of the SACA
Women’s side have who have undertaken coaching courses have taken coaching
roles within the club. They are also the key drivers behind the club
working to establish a Strikers Girls League from within the University
community, providing opportunities for girls to learn to play the game.
The club also continues to
invest in its facilities. This season the hardwicket practice facility at
University Oval has been upgraded. This facility is heavily used by the
wider community, including school and residential college groups as well as by
local residents.
University has shown
a firm commitment to inclusion especially since re-establishing
women’s cricket at the club in 2011. Since that time the club has had
players from non-traditional cricket countries such as Germany, Austria and
Venezuela. These have been international students who have seen cricket
on television and have wanted to ‘have a go’ as part of their experience of
living in Australia. This season a current player represented SA in the
state aboriginal women’s team at the National Indigenous Championships.
In recent years, the men’s
senior sides have also experienced a significant change in their
demographics. With the increase in numbers of international students,
University attracts players from a range of countries including India, Pakistan
and Nepal.
The club continues to
develop its relationship with Blind Cricket SA, playing an annual game against
BCSA for the last few years. BCSA regularly train and play at the
University Oval grounds.
At SACA’s Community Awards, with AUCC members: Deepak Chetry (recognized for his work in the Nepalese community ), Jo Hedges (State Aboriginal Women’s team), Rosemary Penn OAM (Cricket Australia Fifty Year Service award for service to Blind Cricket and AUCC), and Joleen Hall and Bonny Miller (captains of our Women’s teams that have introduced international students from non-traditional cricket countries to the game).
The club has ensured
a high-quality experience for everyone, regardless of their background
in cricket. This season after promoting the Strikers Girls League two
high school aged Chinese students have come out to the club to learn to play
cricket. They have absolutely loved being a part of the club, regularly
attending training and playing a few games in our development side. They
have already started to contribute to the club, volunteering at O’Week
promotions and helping with the club’s Pink Stumps Day. The Club also has
a program of past player lunches and other social events to keep past players
engaged with the club.
Adelaide Uni has
ensured cricket is a sport for all Australians by offering a wide
range of opportunities to be involved in the game. This season the club
has established an Over 50s side, providing a new chance to play for the club.
As a result, the club is now providing the opportunity to be involved in
cricket to all Australians; young and old, male and female, and from a wide
range of backgrounds.