Paul Collingwood tells coaches to let children enjoy cricket

Speaking from a Chance to Shine session at the Kia Oval in Kensington, the current assistant coach for the England men’s Test team, said: “If you don’t enjoy something you don’t tend to go back and do it – enjoyment levels are crucial in sport and in life in general.

“It is important that children have fun, understand what they want from a coaching session and leave the session with a smile on their face wanting to come back.”

Collingwood took part in the session for Play Their Way, a Sport England-backed campaign aimed at creating a nation of child-first coaches, that put fun and enjoyment at the heart of children’s experiences of sport, giving them more of a voice and a choice in the way they are coached.

Chance to Shine, the ECB’s flagship children and young people’s participation programme, are part of the Play Their Way Children’s Coaching Collaborative. The programme launched in 2005, engaging with over 500,000 children and young people last year.

Looking to the England Cricket coaching set-up, Collingwood added: “There is definitely a correlation between ‘Bazball’ and child-first coaching.

“The environment in the England team allows people to express themselves and have a smile on their face.

“When you have a smile on your face and you are enjoying an environment, you play at your best as a result of that.

“Play Their Way encourages children to go out there and just have fun.”

Collingwood was joined at the Oval by Southern Vipers player Rhianna Southby, who added: “Giving children the way to express themselves in their training will only make them better at their sports.

“Allowing children the chance to work on what they want to work on will make them not only better athletes, but better people too.

“The Chance to Shine sessions are brilliant, I definitely didn’t have this opportunity growing up and these kids have the opportunity now to access state school cricket at such a young age.”

The Play Their Way campaign was launched in May to transform the way children and young people are coached by prioritising their rights, needs and enjoyment in a ‘child-first’ approach.

The campaign is funded by Sport England and The National Lottery and is led by the 17 partner organisations that make up the Play Their Way Children’s Coaching Collaborative.

To learn more about Play Their Way, access resources and sign up to join the biggest grassroots movement to transform the way we coach our children and young people visit www.playtheirway.org.