A Profile of Cricket in Scotland
Research Report no. 82
by
sportscotland
Published by
© sportscotland
ISBN 1 85060 402 6 Price £10 July 2001 FURTHER INFORMATION
This report is also available on sportscotland’s website:
www.sportscotland.org.uk
Sports Participation Data. Information on participation in sport by the general public from 1987 to 2000 is available in sportscotland’s Research Digest no. 84, Sports Participation in Scotland 2000, also available on the website.
Sports Clubs in Scotland. The full and summary versions of the report Sports Clubs in Scotland (sportscotland Research Report no. 75 and Research Digest no. 59) have been published and are available from sportscotland and on our website. Similar reports to the responses to the national cricket club questionnaire in this report have been published for the following sports where the sample sizes were considered large enough to justify individual analyses. These are also available on the website.
Angling Athletics Badminton Bowls Football Golf Hockey Swimming Tennis
Cricket, Swimming and Tennis in Aberdeen/shire. A further two reports from this study have been published by sportscotland in 2001. These are also available on the website. • Swimming provision and participation in Scotland. (Research report no. 83) • Tennis provision and participation in Scotland. (Research report no. 84)
sportscotland Caledonia House South Gyle Edinburgh EH12 9DQ
Tel: 0131 317 7200 Fax: 0131 317 7202 email: [email protected]
2 CONTENTS
Page
4 List of Figures and Tables
5 Acknowledgements
6 Introduction
7 Section 1: Cricket Participation in Scotland 7 Background 7 Participation rates for cricket
9 Section 2: Cricket Clubs in Scotland 9 Introduction 10 About the club 11 Competition 11 Membership 15 Issues, values and development 17 Facility ownership and problems 19 Staffing and management 23 Finance
25 Section 3: Cricket in Aberdeen/shire 25 Introduction 26 Objectives 26 The surveys 27 Cricket club secretaries 34 Cricket club members
3 FIGURES AND TABLES
Page
Section 1: Cricket Participation in Scotland (Tables A-B) 8 A: Adult sports participation during the season, 1998-2000 8 B: Adult cricket participation during the season, 1987-2000
Section 2: Cricket Clubs in Scotland (Unnumbered tables) 10 Year established 10 Other sports played 10 Governing body affiliation 11 External competition 11 Membership numbers 12 Adult/junior and male/female playing membership 13 Number of playing members 13 Membership involvement 14 Type of membership available 14 Concessionary rates 14 Waiting list 15 Change in membership numbers 15 Change in membership age 15 Club issues 16 Club values 17 Development measures taken 17 Facility ownership 18 Facility problems 19 Club type 19 Financial decision-making 20 Sports development decision-making 20 Type of staff 21 Number of staff 21 Status of staff 22 Club links 22 Development plan 23 Sources of income 23 Financial business plan
Section 3: Cricket in Aberdeen/shire (Tables 1-15, Figures 1-9) 27 Table 1: Number of members per club 28 Table 2: Changes in membership numbers 28 Table 3: Number of teams per club 29 Table 4: Main problems experienced in running the club 30 Table 5: Awareness of capital/revenue lottery awards 30 Table 6: Number of wickets 31 Table 7: Other grounds used 31 Table 8: Quality of main and other grounds used 32 Table 9: Difficulties through not having a home ground 32 Table 10: Facilities at clubhouses 33 Table 11: Rating of clubhouse facilities 33 Table 12: How the clubhouse could be improved 34 Table 13: Seasonal use of indoor practice facilities 34 Table 14: Location of affiliated club 35 Figure 1: Home area of cricket club members 36 Figure 2: Age of cricket club members 36 Figure 3: Age cricket club members completed full-time education 37 Figure 4: Highest educational qualification of cricket club members 37 Figure 5: Employment status of cricket club members 38 Figure 6: Length of time as a club member in this area 39 Figure 7: Length of time playing cricket 40 Figure 8: Way introduced to cricket 41 Figure 9: Months when normally play cricket 41 Table 15: Frequency of play and practice, by location
4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report was written by sportscotland’s Research Manager, Jon Best. It is based on information from three studies commissioned by sportscotland:
• The sports participation data on cricket were gathered by System Three Scotland in its regular Scottish Opinion Survey. The data were analysed by the Planning Data Management Service of Edinburgh University.
• The cricket information from the survey of sports clubs in Scotland uses analyses by the Planning Data Management Service of the sports clubs questionnaire data gathered by the Survey Unit on behalf of the Centre for Leisure Research, all of Edinburgh University.
• The cricket information from the study of cricket, swimming and tennis in Aberdeen/shire was gathered, analysed and reported by Market Research Scotland. sportscotland is grateful to the Scottish Cricket Union for their help; the many cricket clubs throughout Scotland who took the time and trouble to complete questionnaires; cricket club secretaries and their members in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire who responded to the surveys; and the directors and staff of the recreation departments in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire for their assistance.
sportscotland July 2001
5 INTRODUCTION
Traditionally cricket in Scotland has had neither the profile nor the support of the game south of the border. Recent years, however, have seen substantial developments in terms of both success and public awareness. Arguably – at least in terms of the public imagination – this started with Freuchie winning the UK Village Cup in September 1985. Exactly 15 years later Lottery funding allowed Scotland’s National Cricket Academy to be opened in Edinburgh. This followed the first presence of a Scottish team in the World Cup, in 1999. The International Cricket Council expressed surprise that the team failed to qualify for the next World Cup in 2003 and affirmed that “there is no doubt in our minds that Scotland are one of the leading countries in world cricket, outside the test nations” (Herald, 21 July 2001). sportscotland recognises that planning for such success in any sport needs to be based on an effective programme of sports development throughout the sport. This in turn needs to be informed by a wide range of information about those who take part and the facilities they use. The purpose of this report is to draw together the data on cricket from three information-gathering studies commissioned by sportscotland:
• Participation in Sport. Data on sports participation by adults have been gathered through System Three Scotland’s omnibus Scottish Opinion Survey every other month since 1987. Brief statistics on participation in cricket are provided here for 1998-2000 and retrospectively to 1987-89.
• Sports Clubs in Scotland. This national survey in 1999 of information and issues for clubs in virtually all sports included responses from nearly a hundred cricket clubs. The data from the cricket club responses are presented here, compared with responses from the whole sample of sports clubs.
• Aberdeen/shire Cricket/Swimming/Tennis Study. National samples of sports participation or clubs overall are necessarily limited. This study in 1997 focused on a reasonably representative area of Scotland in more detail and included surveys of both cricket players and club secretaries. These are reported in the final section of this document.
Together this research provides a profile of cricket in Scotland: the cricketer, the club and provision for the sport. It is an information resource for those needing an understanding of those who take part and issues affecting their participation, and these surveys have provided the data, for example, for sportscotland’s Facilities Planning Model that provides planning advice on the need and optimal location for new sports provision.
6 SECTION 1: CRICKET PARTICIPATION IN SCOTLAND
Background
Since 1987 sportscotland has commissioned data on sports participation from System Three Scotland’s Scottish Opinion Survey. This is a monthly survey of about 1,000 adults (aged 16 and over) from 40 sampling areas in mainland Scotland. Sports participation questions are included every other month, but for purposes of identifying actual participation rates only data from the most popular two months each year are used, in order to avoid artificially lowering the average with rates from out-of-season participation.
Results over three years are combined in a three-year moving mean. This is intended to boost accuracy by increasing the sample size, and to smooth out year- on-year variations that are simply due to sample fluctuations.
The question asked is:
• In the last 4 weeks, have you taken part, however informally, in any of these sports or physical recreations in Scotland?
A showcard is used so that respondents are in no doubt as to what to include and acts as a reminder. The last four weeks is a period that normally results in good recall, particularly of the number of times they have taken part. It also allows a rough definition of ‘participation’ to be determined, excluding those who rarely play. ‘However informally’ emphasises that participation is not limited to formal or competitive activity. The focus is on participation by Scottish residents in Scotland.
Only 18 sports are participated in by over one per cent of the adult population (Table A), so that sample sizes in such surveys of the general population are inevitably very small for most sports, including cricket. The following results for cricket should therefore be treated with caution, although Table B does indicate a fairly consistent pattern over the 14 years of the survey.
For further comparisons with other sports, see Sports Participation in Scotland 2000 published in 2001 as sportscotland’s Research Digest no. 84 and also on our website (www.sportscotland.org.uk).
The sample size of this national household survey is too small to provide a social profile of cricketers. The best Scottish source for this information – although limited to club members in Aberdeen/shire – is the survey reported in Section 3 below.
Participation Rates for Cricket
In terms of the number of participants, cricket ranks 30th on the list of sports and physical recreations, with under half a per cent of the adult population playing within the last four weeks during the season (Table A). This figure has remained fairly constant at around one per cent or less over the period of the survey (Table B).
7 Table A: Adult Sports Participation During the Season, 1998-2000
Sport Percentage of Adults During the Most Popular Two Months of the Year
Walking (2+ miles) 31 Swimming 23 Cycling 11 Football 10 Golf 10 Dance 9 Keep fit/Aerobics 9 Snooker/Billiards/Pool 8 Multigym/Weight training 7 Tenpin bowling 7 Running/Jogging 6 Hillwalking/Climbing/Mountaineering 5 Bowls 4 Angling 4 Badminton 3 Basketball/Netball/Volleyball 2 Tennis 2 Yoga 1 Ice skating/Ice hockey 1 Sailing/Other water sports 1 Martial arts 1 Squash 1 Horse riding 1 Table tennis 1 Athletics 1 Skiing 1 Rugby 1 Gymnastics 1 Hockey 1 Cricket * Curling * Judo *
Percentage figures for the adult population of Scotland participating during the four weeks prior to interview in the most popular two months for each sport, cumulated over 1998-2000. Base: 6,218 adults from households in mainland Scotland. *Less than 0.5%; any figures in the range 0.5% to under 1.5% are rounded to 1%.
Table B: Adult Cricket Participation During the Season, 1987-2000
87-89 88-90 89-91 90-92 91-93 92-94 93-95 94-96 95-97 96-98 97-99 98-00
Percentage of adult respondents during the most popular two months of the year 1 1 1 * 1 * 1 * 1 * * * *Less than 0.5%; any figures in the range 0.5% to under 1.5% are rounded to 1%.
8 SECTION 2: CRICKET CLUBS IN SCOTLAND
Introduction
This section gives the responses to the club questionnaire survey undertaken during summer 1999 as part of a study of sports clubs in Scotland, commissioned by sportscotland from the Centre for Leisure Research of Edinburgh University. It provides a listing of the responses for clubs offering cricket as their main sport, compared with the replies from all responding clubs. A total of 96 completed questionnaires were received out of 240 sent to cricket clubs, a response rate of 40 per cent. The response rate for all clubs in the survey was 36 per cent.
Further details of the study are available in the main and summary reports, Sports Clubs in Scotland, both on the website www.sportscotland.org.uk. A health warning is that the two-fifths of cricket clubs who responded cannot be guaranteed to be representative of all the clubs that were identified, but generally there was anecdotal evidence that the respondents were broadly typical of all those sent questionnaires.
The robustness of the sample size for individual questions can be checked by relating the percentage figures to the base number of respondents to that question.
The following topics were covered by the questionnaire:
• About the Club • Competition • Membership • Issues, Values and Development • Facility Ownership and Problems • Staffing and Management • Finance
9 About the Club
Year Established
Q1 In which year was your club established in its present form?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs
Pre-1900 37 15 1900-1949 28 19 1950-1969 10 12 1970-1979 2 14 1980-1989 11 17 1990-1999 11 23 Base*: 81 3,038
Other Sports Played
Q2 How many other sports are played by your club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs
None 93 93 One 2 5 Two 5 2
Base: 96 3,485
Governing Body Affiliation
Q3 Is your club affiliated to the governing body?
Cricket All Clubs
Percentage of responding clubs
Yes 88 91 No 12 9 Base: 96 3,462
*Here and throughout, the ‘Base’ figure is the number of respondents who filled in a reply to that question
10 Competition
External Competition
Q4 Does your club take part in any external competition events, matches or leagues?
Cricket All Clubs
Percentage of responding clubs
Yes 99 88 No 1 12 Base: 95 3,450
Q5 If YES: Are the competitions your club takes part in…
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs taking part in external competitions …local? 77 88 …regional? 58 78 …national? 62 62 …international? 1 15 Base (‘Yes’ to Q4): 93 3,024 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Membership
Membership Numbers
Q6 What is the total membership of your club? (Including players, non-players and social members)
Cricket All Clubs
Percentage of responding clubs 1-19 14 12 20-39 34 28 40-59 18 14 60-79 7 9 80-99 5 5 100-199 15 16 200-299 3 6 300 plus 3 11 Average mean no. 77 133 Base 94 3,396
11 Adult/Junior and Male/Female Playing Membership
Q7 Are there adult and junior playing members in your club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Adult and junior playing members 74 55 Only adult playing members 25 30 Only junior playing members 1 15 Base: 93 3,217
Q7 Are there male and female playing members in your club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Male and female playing members 33 66 Only male playing members 67 28 Only female playing members 0 6 Base: 93 3,240
Q7 Are there playing members from the following age/sex groups?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs
Males under 12 46 38 Females under 12 20 28 Males 12-17 71 59 Females 12-17 15 38 Males 18-34 99 68 Females 18-34 13 43 Males 35-54 95 65 Females 35-54 9 45 Males 55 and over 59 43 Females 55 and over 6 29 Base: 94 3,240
12 Number of Playing Members
Q7 What is the average number of playing members?
Cricket All Clubs Average number of playing members in clubs with any in that age/sex category no. base no. base
Males under 12 13 43 23 1,222 Females under 12 4 19 14 914 Males 12-17 12 67 19 1,922 Females 12-17 3 14 9 1,237 Males 18-34 19 93 19 2,216 Females 18-34 20 12 9 1,391 Males 35-54 12 89 26 2,105 Females 35-54 12 8 13 1,443 Males 55 and over 6 55 31 1,408 Females 55 and over 12 6 23 954 All males 48 93 69 3,012 All females 17 31 33 2,331 All aged under 12 15 44 31 1,313 All aged 12-17 12 68 23 2,114 All aged 18-34 13 88 23 2,435 All aged 35-54 45 529 33 2,278 All aged 55 and over 7 54 43 1,514 Total: all playing members 53 94 87 3,240 Base: All responding clubs with playing members in that age/sex category
Membership Involvement
Q8 Approximately what percentage of members are…
Cricket All Clubs Average percentage for all responding clubs …involved mainly in external matches/competitions/events? 64 48 …involved mainly in recreational sport? 22 44 …non-sports players/social members? 14 8 Base: 90 3,002
13 Type of Membership Available
Q9 What kind of membership is available at your club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Both pay & play and subscription 46 43 Subscription only 41 36 Pay and play only 13 20 Base: 90 2,943
Concessionary Rates
Q10 Does your club offer concessionary rates for any members?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 81 60 No 19 40 Base: 95 3,386
Q11 If YES: To which groups do clubs (that offer any) offer concessionary rates?
Cricket All Clubs
Percentage of responding clubs that offer any concessions
Children 81 68 Those on benefits or low-waged (eg, senior citizens, unemployed) 61 54 Students 78 39 Families and couples 13 24 Others 13 18 Base (clubs with any concessionary rates): 77 2,035 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Waiting List
Q12 Does your club have a waiting list for playing members?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 1 13 No 99 87 Base: 96 3,429
14 Change in Membership Numbers
Q13 In the past five years, has membership of your club…
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs …stayed the same? 47 38 …increased? 35 35 …decreased? 17 26 Don’t know 1 1 Base: 95 3,353
Change in Membership Age
Q14 In the past five years, would you say that the average age of the members of your club has…
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs …stayed the same? 29 43 …increased? 48 40 …decreased? 20 15 Don’t know 3 2 Base: 94 3,359
Issues, Values and Development
Club Issues
Q15 Are any of the following [see list below] an issue in your club?
Cricket All Clubs
Percentage of responding clubs
Yes 99 94 No 1 6
Base: 96 3,409
15 If YES, those identified as issues: Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs that identified any issue Attracting new junior members 76 68 Attracting new senior members 65 55 Retaining existing members 51 54 General shortage of volunteers 53 50 Attracting women members 19 41 Financial difficulties or uncertainties 51 41 Shortage of volunteers/staff with technical skills 46 33 Shortage of volunteers/staff with management skills 28 29 Attracting family members 16 25 Recruiting paid staff (eg, managers, coaches) 14 10 Other issues 8 10 Base (respondents identifying any issue): 95 3,199 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Club Values
Q16 Which three from the list below best reflect your club’s values?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Enjoyment 89 89 Competitive success 70 53 Opportunities to socialise 69 50 Promoting health and exercise 22 42 Young people’s activity 34 27 Implementing and ensuring safety within the sport 3 18 Promoting opportunities for family recreation 2 8 Education 2 6 Base: 96 3,450 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Q17 Which one is the most important? Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Enjoyment 69 65 Competitive success 19 12 Opportunities to socialise 4 3 Promoting health and exercise 4 8 Young people’s activity 4 4 Implementing and ensuring safety within the sport 1 7 Promoting opportunities for family recreation 0 1 Education 0 1 Base: 84 2,885
16 Development Measures Taken
Q18 In the last twelve months, has your club taken any specific measures to [see list below]? Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 93 89 No 7 11 Base: 94 3,365
Q18 If YES to any: Clubs that have taken specific measures in the last twelve months to… All Cricket Clubs Percentage of responding clubs that have taken any measures …improve players’ performance 93 81 …ensure safety within the sport 38 57 …increase opportunities for members to undertake coach education 48 53 …improve the range of opportunities in competition 41 50 …increase no. of officials (eg umpires, judges, referees, timekeepers) 21 30 …improve standard of officiating (eg umpires, judges, referees, t/keepers) 25 29 …attract and include club members with a disability 10 20 Base (respondents that have taken any measures): 87 2,999 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Facility Ownership and Problems
Facility Ownership
Q19 Who owns the facilities where your club usually plays/competes/participates and practises/trains? Playing Training Cricket All Clubs Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Local authority leisure facilities 51 42 46 44 Facility owned by the club 24 30 31 26 School facilities 17 15 22 22 Outdoor/natural resources 3 13 3 16 Commercial leisure, health or sport facilities 2 7 4 10 Facilities owned by another club 11 8 6 6 University or college facilities 6 4 11 6 National training centre 0 2 0 3 Other facility or location 18 12 11 10 Base: 95 3,320 72 2,046 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
17 Q20 Who owns the storage, changing and social facilities which your club uses?
Equipment Changing Social storage facilities facilities Cricket All Cricket All Cricket All Percentage of responding clubs
Local authority leisure facilities 26 29 27 35 5 14 Facility owned by the club 34 37 35 34 32 36 School facilities 9 11 12 15 5 5 Commercial leisure, health or sport facilities 1 4 3 5 8 7 Facilities owned by another club 8 4 9 6 15 7 University or college facilities 4 4 5 4 0 3 National training centre 0 1 0 1 0 1 Other facility or location 6 11 9 5 15 11 Not applicable 6 11 7 11 23 22
Base: 93 3,186 74 2,446 65 2,077 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Facility Problems
Q21 Is the development of your club’s playing/training held back by any problems with facilities? Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 54 43 No 46 57 Base: 95 3,365
Q21/19 Clubs using facility types who have the development of their playing/training held back by problems with the facilities. Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs using each facility type % Base % Base School facilities 67 21 63 646 University or college facilities 60 10 58 196 Local authority leisure facilities 62 53 57 1,479 Commercial leisure, health or sport facilities 100 4 56 307 National training centre n/a 0 55 86 Outdoor/natural resources 67 3 50 501 Facilities owned by another club 50 10 49 280 Facility owned by the club 40 25 27 993 Base: Number of responding clubs using each facility type
18 Q22 Which of the following problems affect the facilities your club uses?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs The facilities are too expensive 23 22 The facilities are of poor quality 34 20 The facilities are not available when needed 12 19 The facilities are not available locally 9 13 The facilities have inflexible management 15 10 Base: 95 3,365 Multiple responses
Staffing and Management
Club Type
Q23 Type of club organisation. Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Club with a formal constitution 65 68 Profits retained and reinvested in the club 51 52 No formal legal status, but organisers meet regularly 26 20 Charity or friendly society 3 6 Other 4 5 Profits distributed among shareholders or owners 0 1 Base: 96 3,483 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Financial Decision-making
Q24 Who makes the major decisions about the financial management of the club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Club committees 74 76 Members at a general meeting 59 47 Members on an informal basis 21 14 Club manager(s) 2 6 Club owner(s)/directors 4 5 Other 2 4 Base: 96 3,485 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
19 Sports Development Decision-making
Q25 Who makes the major decisions about sports development in the club?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Club committees 67 68 Members at a general meeting 58 43 Club coach(es) 11 26 Members on an informal basis 28 16 Club manager(s) 2 8 Club owner(s)/directors 2 4 Other 5 3 Base: 96 3,484 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Type of Staff
Q26 Types of staff in the club.
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Coaches and instructors 54 57 Club management and administration staff 58 54 Bar/Catering/Cleaning staff 25 23 Leaders and supervisors 22 20 Facility manager and maintenance staff 27 19 Professional players 26 6 Base: 96 3,485 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
20 Number of Staff
Q26 Average number of staff in the club by type
Cricket All Clubs Av no. Av no. (mode*) Base (mode*) Base Coaches and instructors 2 41 2 1,554 Club management and administration staff 3 46 3 1,436 Bar/Catering/Cleaning staff 1 19 1 601 Facility manager and maintenance staff 2 20 1 512 Leaders and supervisors # 18 2 497 Professional players 1 22 1 175 Base: Responding clubs with any staff of that type #Sample has more than one mode; the smallest is 1
Status of Staff
Q26 Clubs with voluntary and salaried or other paid staff.
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Unpaid volunteers 82 81 Other paid 23 22 Salaried 18 17 Base: 96 3,485 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Q26 Average number of staff in the club by status
Cricket All Clubs Av no. Av no. (mode*) Base (mode*) Base Unpaid volunteers # 63 2 2,146 Other paid 1 18 1 647 Salaried # 15 1 487 Base: Responding clubs with any staff of that status #Samples have more than one mode; the smallest is 8 for volunteers and 1 for salaried
*The number of staff undertaking these roles varied widely among responding clubs, so that the normal average (‘mean’) is less helpful. Therefore the ‘modal’ average is provided, that is the number most commonly given by respondents who had any staff of that type.
21 Club Links
Q27 Club links with other organisations
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs with any links Governing bodies of sport 86 85 Local sports councils 58 61 Other sports clubs 53 50 Local authority departments 46 41 Secondary schools 37 27 Primary schools 38 23 Local community organisations (eg, churches, community councils) 11 20 Commercial companies 26 18 Colleges and universities 8 9 Industry associations (eg, FIA, ILAM) 0 2 Base (clubs with any links – 97% of both cricket and all respondents): 92 3,332 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Development Plan
Q28 Does the club have a written club development plan?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 14 19 No 86 81 Base: 96 3,485
22 Finance
Sources of Income
Q29/30 What have been the main source and all the sources of the club’s income over the last 12 months?
Cricket All Clubs Main All* Main All* Percentage of responding clubs Membership fees (incl pay & play, casual, day tickets) 34 89 56 86 Fundraising 19 65 15 53 Sponsorship 8 60 4 34 Match or game fees 15 73 5 30 Donations 3 51 1 30 Bar and catering 9 20 8 22 Grants 3 31 3 20 Sales, merchandising and promotional activities 0 14 # 12 Coaching and instruction fees 0 7 2 8 Renting out of facilities 1 18 # 7 Spectator receipts 0 2 1 6 Lottery Sports Fund 1 6 # 6 Sale of assets 0 3 0 2 Other 7 10 3 7 Base: 89 96 3,025 3,485 *Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100% #Less than 0.5%
Financial Business Plan
Q31 Does the club have a financial business plan beyond an annual budget?
Cricket All Clubs Percentage of responding clubs Yes 4 9 No, but one is in preparation 8 7 No 87 85 Base: 95 3,372
23 24 SECTION 3: CRICKET IN ABERDEEN/SHIRE
Introduction sportscotland commissioned Market Research Scotland in 1997 to undertake a project that would provide information on the provision for and participation in cricket, swimming and tennis, designed to inform the sports planning process and develop an information resource. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire (referred to here as ‘Aberdeen/shire’ for convenience) were chosen as being compact enough to allow a fairly detailed study to take place; broadly representative of the urban, smaller town and rural mix of Scotland; and reasonably well supplied with facilities for the three sports. The study comprised a range of different surveys:
• Cricket Club Secretaries. Telephone surveys of all identified cricket club secretaries in Aberdeen/shire.
• Cricket Club Members. Postal questionnaire survey of members of all identified cricket clubs in Aberdeen/shire.
• Swimming Pool Users. Interviewer-based questionnaire surveys of users at four swimming facilities in Aberdeen City and four in Aberdeenshire.
• Swimming Facility Managers. Interviews with the managers of the eight selected swimming facilities.
• Swimming Facility Throughput Data. Acquisition of 1996 and 1997 throughput data and other factual information for all swimming facilities with public use in the two council areas.
• Tennis Court Users. Interviewer-based questionnaire surveys of users of the one indoor tennis facility in the area and of a sample of outdoor tennis facilities.
• Tennis Club Secretaries. Telephone surveys of all identified tennis club secretaries in Aberdeen/shire.
• Tennis Club Members. Postal questionnaire survey of members of all identified tennis clubs in Aberdeen/shire.
• Household Survey. Home interview survey of households in Aberdeen and in the catchment areas of the four sample Aberdeenshire swimming facilities. Further information on the swimming and tennis surveys and related household survey can be found in Swimming provision and participation in Scotland (sportscotland research report no. 83) and Tennis provision and participation in Scotland (sportscotland research report no. 84).
The remainder of this report provides the results of the surveys of cricket club secretaries and members.
25 Objectives
The objectives of commissioning this study were to obtain:
• data that would allow the sportscotland facilities planning model to be recalibrated for cricket on the basis of current demand for the activity;
• an understanding of cricket provision and participation that would inform the planning process, particularly sportscotland’s role in providing planning advice, commenting on statutory plans, and evaluating Lottery Fund applications; and • information generally on current patterns of provision for and participation in cricket.
The Surveys
Cricket Club Secretaries sportscotland provided details of known cricket clubs in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire to Market Research Scotland. Further liaison with local authorities, local sports councils and other sources such as the Scottish Cricket Union was carried out by Market Research Scotland in order to identify other relevant clubs that were included in this sample.
The club secretaries for each of the cricket clubs were contacted by telephone to request their assistance with this research and arrange assistance with the distribution of self-completion questionnaires to club members. The club secretary questionnaire was designed by Market Research Scotland with input, comment and approval from sportscotland. Each interview lasted approximately 15 minutes.
In 1997, 35 cricket club secretaries were approached and 29 (83%) participated in the research. The following list details those cricket club secretaries who participated in the research.
Aberdeen Lads CC Fraserburgh CC Aberdeenshire (Mannofield) CC Inverurie CC Anchorian CC Kemnay CC Artisans CC Kintore CC Banchory CC Leith St. Ronald CC Banff CC Newtonhill CC Boddam CC Portcullis CC Bon Accord CC Queens Cross CC Caledonian CC RAF Buchan CC Crathie CC Stonehaven Thistle CC Crescent CC Stoneywood Dyce CC Cults CC Telecom CC Customs and Excise (Total) CC Thistle Park CC Dunecht CC Ellon Gordon CC
26 Cricket Club Members
During the interviews with the club secretaries, information was gathered about the preferred method of distribution for a self-completion survey to club members. In some instances, Market Research Scotland was provided with mailing lists of members and was able to distribute questionnaires directly. In many other instances however, club secretaries preferred to receive the questionnaires and arrange for their mailing or distribution through the club.
In 1997, 1,209 questionnaires were distributed to cricket club members in Aberdeen/shire and 482 returns were received, a response rate of 40 per cent.
Cricket Club Secretaries
The club secretaries provided information in 1997 on a wide range of key issues that either described or were of concern to the club. These covered:
• Membership • Coaching and Umpiring • Planning and Funding • Facilities
Membership
Number of Members and Limitations
How many members do you have in total?
About a third (9 clubs) of the responding clubs had fewer than 21 members and half (14 clubs) had between 21 and 50 members (Table 1). A smaller proportion (21%) had more than 50 members and 14 per cent (4 clubs) had over 100 members. By comparison the national survey in 1999 found the average number of members of 94 cricket clubs in Scotland was 77, including 21 per cent that had over 100 members.
Table 1: Number of Members per Club
No. of Members % of Clubs
Under 21 31 21-50 48 51+ 21 Base*: 29
*Here and throughout, the ‘Base’ figure is the number of respondents replying to that question.
27 Is your membership limited to a certain number? Do you have a waiting list?
None of the clubs had limited membership or waiting lists. Similarly, only 1 out of 96 clubs in the 1999 national clubs survey had a waiting list for playing members.
Changes in Membership
In the last three years, has your membership increased, decreased or stayed the same?
Almost half of the club secretaries (13 clubs) reported no changes in their level of membership, whilst a third of the clubs (8 clubs) had noted an increase in membership. These were broadly similar to the proportions for the subsequent national survey of cricket clubs. (Table 2)
Table 2: Changes in Membership Numbers
Changes A’deen/shire 97 Scotland 99
Percentage of clubs
Increased 28 35 Decreased 10 17 Stayed the same 45 48 Base: 29 94
[Clubs with increased membership] What percentage increase have you had?
Although most of the eight clubs who had noted an increase in members had seen an increase of less of 10 per cent, the increases did vary up to 60 per cent.
Number of Teams
How many teams represent the club on a regular basis?
Over half of the cricket clubs that responded to the club secretary questionnaire had one team (16 clubs). A further quarter (7 clubs) had two teams and the remaining six clubs had three to seven teams each. (Table 3)
Table 3: Number of Teams per Club
No. of Teams % of Clubs
1 55 2 24 3 10 5 7 7 3 Base: 29
28 Coaching and Umpiring
Coaching
How many coaches does your club have? [Clubs with any coaches] Have you got a coaching development plan?
A quarter (8 clubs) of the 29 clubs had a coach. Half of these clubs only had one coach whilst the other four had between three and six coaches. Only one of the eight clubs with coaches had a coaching development plan.
Umpires
Do you have enough umpires of the right standard?
A quarter (7 clubs) were satisfied that they were able to access umpires of the correct standard, with most experiencing difficulties (22 clubs).
Planning and Funding
Problems in Running the Club
Have you ever had any other problems [other than developing/recruiting coaches] running the club, eg availability of volunteers, fund-raising, etc?
A wide range of difficulties in running clubs were mentioned by the cricket club secretaries. Those mentioned by a fifth or more clubs were problems with funding; lack of interest; lack of members; and lack of volunteers. (Table 4)
Table 4: Main Problems Experienced in Running the Club
Problems % of Clubs
Problems with funding/fund-raising 31 Motivating people/lack of interest/commitment 24 Availability/lack of players/members 24 Lack of volunteers to help 21 Base: 29
Lottery Sports Fund Awards
Have you heard of the Lottery Sports Fund capital or revenue awards?
Half (15 clubs) of the cricket club secretaries were aware of capital or revenue lottery awards. A further third (10 clubs) were uncertain about the name of the awards but knew that lottery funds were available for sport. (Table 5)
29 Table 5: Awareness of Capital/Revenue Lottery Awards
Awareness % of Clubs
Yes (knew name) 52 Yes (didn’t know name) 34 No 14 Base: 29
[If Yes] Have you ever submitted or thought about submitting an application?
In the past, two clubs had submitted a Capital application and one a Revenue application. A further 14 had considered submitting a Capital application and eight had thought about a Revenue application. The applications had been made or were planned to be made in relation to a wide range of improvements or developments such as ‘better changing facilities’, ‘resurfacing of ground’, ‘artificial wicket’ and ‘junior equipment’.
Development
Only a tenth (3 clubs) of the 29 clubs had a formal club development plan. Just over a third (11 clubs) had a person who was individually responsible for junior member development.
Half of the clubs (15 clubs) had established links with schools.
Facilities
Home Ground
Three-quarters (22 clubs) of the responding clubs had home grounds. These home grounds had one cricket square except for one club with two squares.
Wickets
Half (11 clubs) of the 22 clubs with their own ground had eight or fewer wickets including a quarter with one (Table 6).
Table 6: Number of Wickets
No. of % of Clubs with Wickets Their Own Ground
1 23 4-8 27 10-12 36 14-17 14 Base: 22
30 Almost half of the 22 cricket clubs with home grounds had synthetic grass wickets: nine had one synthetic grass wickets and one club had twelve.
Nets
Half (11 clubs) of the 22 clubs with their own home grounds had nets with grass surfaces with a further five having synthetic nets and four with matting. Two of the clubs with their own home grounds had no nets.
Features of the Ground
Most of the clubs (19 out of 22) with their own grounds had practice nets. Nine clubs had spectator accommodation, five had a scorers' box and four had side screens.
Other Grounds Used
Which other grounds if any do you use (not away grounds)?
A third (7 clubs) of the clubs with their own grounds also used others (Table 7).
Table 7: Other Grounds Used
Other Grounds % of Clubs with Used Their Own Ground
None 68 Duthie Public Park 18 Stewart Park 9 Local council ground 9 Links 5 Base: 22 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Quality of Grounds
How good is the quality of these main and other grounds in general?
Most of the secretaries of clubs with their own grounds (18 out of 22 clubs) were satisfied that the quality of the grounds they used was very or quite good (Table 8).
Table 8: Quality of Main and Other Grounds Used
Quality of % of Clubs with Grounds Used Their Own Ground
Very good 36 Quite good 45 Neither/nor 14 Quite poor 5 Base: 22
31 Difficulties Experienced Through Not Having a Home Ground
Has not having a home ground caused any difficulties? (Specify)
Four of the seven clubs that did not have a home ground stated that they experienced difficulties (Table 9).
Table 9: Difficulties Through Not Having a Home Ground
Difficulties % of Clubs with No Home Grounds
Getting nets for practice 29 Entertaining opposition a problem 14 Members of the public walking about 14 Quality of ground 14 Quality of wicket 14 None 43 Base: 7 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Clubhouses
Two-thirds (19 out of 29 clubs) had a clubhouse.
All of the clubhouses had a maintenance equipment store and three-quarters had showers and a kitchen. Although half had a lounge area, only about a third had a bar – a potential revenue earner as well as social focus. It was unusual for the clubhouses to accommodate a separate disabled changing facility or committee room. (Table 10)
Table 10: Facilities at Clubhouses
Clubhouse % of Clubs Facilities with Clubhouses
Maintenance equipment store 100 Showers 74 Kitchen 74 Lounge area 53 Separate male/female changing 42 Bar 37 Committee room 11 Separate disabled changing 5 Base: 19 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
32 Quality of Clubhouse
How would you rate the quality of the clubhouse facilities?
The rating of clubhouse facilities was not as positive as the rating of home grounds, but over half of the respondents (11 out of 19 clubs) rated their own clubhouse as being good and a quarter (5 clubs) as poor (Table 11).
Table 11: Rating of Clubhouse Facilities
Clubhouse % of Clubs Facilities with Clubhouses
Very good 26 Quite good 32 Neither/nor 16 Quite poor 21 Very poor 5 Base: 19
Ways of Improving the Clubhouse
The respondents identified a range of improvements needed in their clubhouses. The most frequently mentioned were the need for showers or running water, installation of a bar and the updating of the score box. (Table 12)
Table 12: How the Clubhouse Could be Improved
Improvements % of Clubs with Clubhouses
Showers/running water 21 Install a bar 16 Update score box 16 Dining facilities/kitchen 11 Expand changing rooms 11 Better facilities generally 11 Modernisation/upgrading of building 11 Other 58 Base: 19 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Indoor Facilities
Most of the clubs used indoor facilities for practice (24 out of 29 clubs). A wide range of indoor facilities in the area were used with no facility mentioned by more than three clubs.
33 The indoor practice facilities were most commonly used during the spring and winter (Table 13).
Table 13: Seasonal Use of Indoor Practice Facilities
Season % of Clubs Using Used Indoor Facilities
Spring 75 Summer 4 Autumn 0 Winter 42 Base: 24 Multiple responses, so figures sum to more than 100%
Cricket Club Members
The club secretaries who assisted in the survey allowed questionnaires to be distributed to their club members in 1997. The result was 468 replies out of 1,209 questionnaires distributed, a response rate of 39 per cent. The following areas were covered by the questionnaire:
• Profile of Members (all club member respondents) • Characteristics of Membership (excludes social only members) • Background to Cricket Participation (excludes social only members) • Current Participation (excludes social only members) • Future Participation Aspirations (excludes social only members)
Profile of Members
Main Club Affiliation
Which is the (main) cricket club you are a member of?
The respondents were dominated by the Aberdeenshire Mannofield (now Aberdeen Asset Management) CC based in Aberdeen City (Table 14).
Table 14: Location of Affiliated Club
Club Location % of Members Mannofield CC 44 Rest of Aberdeen City 26 Aberdeenshire 27 Other 2 Base: 468
34 Cricket Qualifications
Only 9 per cent of the respondents held any coaching qualifications or awards.
Area
Reflecting their club affiliation, two-thirds (67%) of the respondents came from Aberdeen City (Fig 1).
Fig 1: Home Area of Cricket Club Members
Aberdeen City 67%
Aboyne 3%
Stonehaven 4%
Westhill 6%
Rest of A’deenshire 16%
Rest of Scotland 3%
Outwith Scotland 0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 468
Gender and Age
The sample was male dominated with only 2 per cent of the respondents female.
A small proportion of the sample were aged under 16, and a wide spread of ages was found amongst the adult respondents (Fig 2).
Marital Status
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of the respondents were married or otherwise living as a couple; a quarter (25%) were not living as a couple and single; and four per cent were not living as a couple and separated, divorced or widowed.
Age Completed Full-time Education
Nearly half (44%) of the respondents had completed their full-time education at the age of 18 years and over (Fig 3).
35
Fig 2: Age of Cricket Club Members
Under 16 5%
16 - 24 years 12%
25 - 34 years 19%
35 - 44 years 17%
45 - 54 years 17%
55 - 64 years 16%
65+ years 13%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 468
Fig 3: Age Cricket Club Members Completed Full-time Education
Still in education 11%
14 years and under 4%
15 years 13%
16 years 16%
17 years 12%
18 years and over 44%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 462
36 Highest Level of Educational Qualifications
Reflecting the proportion still in education aged 18 and over, over a third (36%) held a degree or postgraduate qualification (Fig 4). This compares with 8 per cent of the Aberdeen/shire population as a whole.
Fig 4: Highest Educational Qualification of Cricket Club Members
O/Standard grade/level 15%
Higher 14%
A level/CSYS 5%
HNC/HND 13%
Degree/Postgraduate 36%
None of the above 17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Base: 463
Employment Status
Most respondents were in some form of employment (67%) or retired (19%) (Fig 5).
Fig 5: Employment Status of Cricket Club Members
Em ployed - full tim e 55% Employed - part time 4%
Self employed 8% Unemployed 1% Student 5% School pupil 7% Retired 19%
Housewife - not working outside the home 1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Base: 468
37 Characteristics of Membership
Type of Member
The largest proportion of respondents were playing members (58%); over a third were social members only (39%); 17 per cent were committee members (most of whom also identified themselves as playing members); and 1 per cent were match officials. The rest of this report excludes those who described themselves as social members only.
Adults and Juniors
Excluding those who were social members only, the large majority (86%) of respondents described themselves as adult members, with only 14 per cent juniors.
Competitive Play
Almost all (97%) of the respondents who were playing members, committee members or match officials represented their club competitively in league or cup matches regularly (81%) or occasionally (16%).
Length of Time as a Club Member
Most (61%) of the active respondents had been members of a club in the area for over five years, including 43 per cent for over ten years (Fig 6).
Fig 6: Length of Time as a Club Member in This Area
Less than 1 year 4%
1 - 2 years 11%
3 - 5 years 24%
6 - 10 years 18%
More than 10 years 43%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Base: 277
38 Background to Cricket Participation
Length of Time Playing Cricket
Most of the active respondents (71%) had been playing cricket for more than ten years. A further quarter (25%) had been playing for between three and ten years, with very few respondents (3%) having only played for the last couple of years. (Fig 7)
Way Introduced to Cricket
Over a third (37%) of the active respondents had been introduced to cricket through their school and nearly a third (29%) through their parents (Fig 8).
Fig 7: Length of Time Playing Cricket
Less than 1 year 1%
1 - 2 years 2%
3 - 5 years 14%
6 - 10 years 11%
More than 10 years 71%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Base: 290
39
Fig 8: Way Introduced to Cricket
Through school 37%
Friends 17%
Club 4%
Parents 29%
Come and try 4%
Watching cricket 8%
Other family 1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Base: 291
Current Participation in Cricket
Game Playing Months
The peak game playing months were May through to August when virtually all playing cricketers took part (Fig 9).
Indoor Cricket Matches
A fifth (20%) of the respondents ever played indoor cricket matches.
Training and Practice
While three-quarters of the active club members usually trained or practised with their club in a normal week during the summer (74%) and the winter (73%), a quarter in each season did not do so.
40
Fig 9: Months When Normally Play Cricket
March 5%
April 72%
May 92%
June 96%
July 96%
August 94%
September 40%
October 2% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Base: 293
Frequency of Play and Practice
How many times have you (a) played a match or (b) practised/had coaching, in each of these locations in the last 4 weeks?
Table 15 details the average number of occasions in the previous four weeks that active cricketers had played a match or practised/received coaching at their club, elsewhere in Grampian and outwith Grampian. On average, they had played in a match 2.9 times in the last four weeks, including 1.7 times at their own club. They had practised or received coaching 2.2 times, almost always at their own club.
Table 15: Frequency of Play and Practice, by Location
Location Played a Match Practice/Coaching
No. of occasions in last four weeks At your club(s) 1.7 2.1 Elsewhere in Grampian 0.9 0.06 Elsewhere 0.2 0.02 Total 2.9 2.2 Base: 228 293
41 Future Participation Aspirations
Play Cricket as Often as Would Like to in Summer
Although most respondents played cricket as often as they would like to in summer there was a fair proportion (42%) who were not happy with the amount of cricket they played during this season.
The main reasons preventing this group from playing as much as they would like during the summer were ‘other commitments’ (36%), ‘bad weather’ (16%), ‘family’ (15%) and ‘lack of pitches’ (14%).
Train for Cricket as Often as Would Like to in Summer
Similarly the respondents were asked if they trained as often as they would like to during the summer. The sample was evenly split on this question with 50 per cent feeling that they would like to train more often.
Again the main reasons for not training as often as they would like to were ‘other commitments’ (51%) and ‘lack of facilities’ (19%). ‘Lack of interest by team mates’ (8%) and ‘family’ (7%) were also mentioned.
Train for Cricket as Often as Would Like to in Winter
Two-thirds (69%) of the respondents considered that they did not train for cricket as often as they would like to in the winter.
For this group, ‘lack of facilities’ was the reason preventing most (58%) of them from training as often as they would like to in winter, with ‘other commitments’ (16%) and the related ‘other things to do’ (7%) the only other significant reasons.
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