Blundstone Arena - Bellerive 15 Derwent Street Bellerive TAS 7018 PO Box 495 Rosny Park TAS 7018 Australia

Telephone: +61 3 6282 0400 Facsimile: +61 3 6244 3924 Email: [email protected] Website: www.crickettas.com.au

Tasmanian Association trading as ACN 009 476 993 ABN 34 009 476 993 29 June 2016

HEALTHY TASMANIA – FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN – submission from Cricket Tasmania

Cricket Tasmania supports the proposal by the Tasmanian Government to develop a five-year strategic plan to create a Healthy Tasmania.

With more than 35,000 participants across Tasmania, cricket is well placed to help build a healthier, more active community and encourage habits that can be passed through generations of Tasmanians.

Cricket clubs, like many sporting clubs, provide a central gathering point in local communities, and help build strength, resilience and capacity among volunteers and players.

Positive role models and strong healthy leaders can assist in educating other players and families about the best ways to achieve an active lifestyle, good nutrition and positive sporting outcomes.

Cricket is one of Tasmania’s fastest growing sports, with growth this year of more than 17% on 2014/15.

59% of all cricket participants in the State are aged between 5 and 12 and female participation has grown by 20% in the past year - both are key demographic groups in beginning to help turnaround the health indicators of Tasmanian people.

Growing cricket across Tasmania would be a strong vehicle through which the State Government could work with individuals and communities to better manage their personal health and well-being.

In response to the Healthy Tasmania five-year Strategic Plan Community Consultation Draft, Cricket Tasmania has identified several key potential future initiatives to grow participation and upgrading community facilities in order to improve health outcomes.

Potential Future Initiatives –

 No 2: Incentivising increasing physical activity levels, including encouraging children, young people and their families, particularly in lower socio-economic areas to increase their physical activity levels and participate in more organised sport

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The Captain’s Challenge is Cricket Tasmania’s schools-based programme aimed at developing fundamental motor skills for children from Kindergarten to Grade 2.

Cricket Tasmania would like to increase the reach of its programme, which is already reaching more than 6500 students across nearly 80 primary schools.

It has captured the attention of children through its brand connection with the Big Bash League team, and its mascot, Captain Hurricane.

In the Captain’s Challenge, children spending around 10 minutes each day developing skills such as catching and throwing, that will assist them in participating in a wide range of physical activities and help them remain physically active later in life.

Most schools run the programme over a 6 week block, with around 30 sessions in that time. Teachers allocate 10 minutes a day, which makes the programme a strong alternative to “daily PE” activities like aerobics or block walks. Statistics show that children who can learn these basic skills early in life are more likely to actively participate in organised sport, either team or individual, and continue with a physically active lifestyle longer term.

Extending the reach is only limited by funding constraints.

The program assists with stated aims of the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines, which recommend Tasmanian school children perform 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day.

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 No 3: Increase Government investment in sports and outdoor physical infrastructure to encourage people to participate in more organised sport and build more physical activity into their daily routine

Cricket Tasmania has more than 35,000 participants playing on more than 200 grounds around Tasmania, with competitions on most week nights and weekends. The opportunity to expand competition is limited by the availability of access to additional grounds, much-need improvements to clubhouse facilities and lack of infrastructure at some grounds.

To that end, Cricket Tasmania, assisted by , will shortly embark on a full Facilities Audit of all grounds used around the state.

This information could be used to frame a Tasmanian facilities strategy to develop or upgrade sports facilities in areas of need. This could be particularly beneficial in lower socio-economic areas, where grounds and infrastructure may be aging, run down or non-existent, and where there may not previously have been the opportunity for people in the community to participate in organised sport.

Expanding and/or improving sports facilities in lower socio-economic areas also addresses some of the transport and financial issues faced by some families, who may not be able to afford to travel or commit to organised sport.

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Many ageing facilities also fail to cater for female participants, with a lack of female change room and toilet facilities. The days of females being forced to change in their cars because the club pavilion has only male change rooms and toilets should be over - addressing this infrastructure need would result in female participation numbers increasing, and will encourage longer-term commitment to sport.

In October 2015, the Victorian Government partnered with Cricket Australia and Cricket to establish a cricket facilities fund, (Community Cricket Program: On Common Ground), designed to upgrade community grounds and facilities across the state.

The initiative provides funding for large and small projects to improve access to the sport to increase participation, particularly across regional areas and multi-culturally diverse communities. http://cricketvictoria.com.au/news/article/community-cricket-program-on-common-ground-launched http://www.vic.gov.au/news/the-community-cricket-program-on-common-ground.html

In Tasmania, there is scope for a similar model to fund infrastructure and ground upgrades across the state, with a focus on multi-sport venues to maximise participation and value for money.

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 No 4: The service engages with schools and community groups to develop programs that improve physical activity and healthy nutrition, and engage with the community to increase access to healthy foods.

Cricket Tasmania’s men’s and women’s professional cricketers are a valuable resource that could be utilised to promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and good nutrition. The profile and popularity of the Hobart Hurricanes squad reached new levels this season, with record crowds at Blundstone Arena and television audiences of more than one-million viewers for each Hurricanes home game.

The Hurricanes Women’s Big Bash League team reached the semi-finals this season, bringing in a whole new support group.

Children look up to, and are inspired by, Tasmania’s cricketers, and Cricket Tasmania would be keen to work with the Tasmanian Government on a Community Ambassador program which promotes improved health and well-being, teamwork, respect and responsibility - all factors and life skills that help to build strong and resilient local communities.

Cricket Tasmania players could act as Ambassadors across the state, sharing stories of their own personal health and well-being journeys, running activities and providing inspiration for school children to embark on their own healthy and active lifestyles.

For further information or discussion:

David Johnston Rachel Fisher Cricket Tasmania Chief Executive Cricket Tasmania Public Policy and Government Relations Manager

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[email protected] [email protected]

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