Sussex Cricket – the foundation for everyone

With the end of the domestic cricket season last month, SBT Sport decided it was a good time to catch up with the Chairman of The Sussex Cricket Foundation, Jon Filby to find out more about the role of the Foundation within Sussex’s cricketing community.

The Sussex Cricket Foundation (SCF) is the charitable arm of Sussex Cricket and as well as raising £150,000 each year to run community projects across the county and to fund the Academy Ground at Blackstone, the Foundation is also responsible for running all the recreational cricket across the county. Their aim is to actively change lives through cricket across the community by using the game and the Sussex Cricket brand to deliver accessible and enjoyable opportunities that grow the sport, tackle inequalities, improve health and wellbeing and enable people to fulfil their potential.

Investment in women’s cricket and its profile across the Country has undoubtedly seen an increase in numbers and with inclusion at the heart of the aims of the Foundation, there are now 54 clubs in Sussex with women’s sections, which is more than double the number offered across the county just two years ago.  Much of this success will have been helped because of role models such as Sussex girls, Freya Davies and Captain Georgia Adams, the latter having had a superb season, also leading the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy winners, Southern Vipers and also being an integral part of the Southern Brave team, which reached the final of the recent Hundred competition.

In addition, the SCF have prepared plans to ensure that people in both Crawley and Brighton and Hove get the opportunity to participate in cricket, and last month saw their ‘Discoverability Day’ during which 270 children and young adults came from across the county to participate in cricket activities at the 1st Central County Ground. Added to this, their Sporting Memories programme is targeted at supporting the older members of the population who suffer from loneliness or dementia.

One of the biggest and continuous challenges facing not only the Foundation, but every registered charity across the country is fundraising and presenting new and varied ideas for people and businesses to support the Foundation. 

According to Jon, cricket across the county is booming and has never been more popular than it is now. He points to the fact that the men’s League continues to grow each year with ten new teams this season and already having applications from a further ten teams for the 2022 season. Additionally, women’s’ cricket is growing exponentially and there are now over one hundred clubs in Sussex providing junior sections for boys and girls.

I asked him how can local businesses get involved to support the Foundation?

“Local businesses interested in finding out more about what we are doing and the opportunities that exist to support cricket in their local community can contact me at jon.filby@sussexcricket.co.uk and we would be delighted to welcome local businesses to our SCF Annual Gala Lunch with Glenn Hoddle at the Hilton Metropole Hotel on Friday 12 November. It will be a great event and is selling very fast. Tables of ten are available for £750.”