Stars go Urban in Birmingham

James Anderson and Ian Bell launch npower Urban Cricket in Highgate Park - with the help of some friends

A huge six from England star Ian Bell marked the official opening of the npower Urban Cricket facility in Highgate Park, Birmingham.

The new facility, which has transformed a disused area of the park, is the third of five purpose-built cricket facilities to be opened across the country as part of the Urban Cricket initiative. It provides a permanent space for children in Birmingham to learn and practice their cricket skills, turning them into possible stars of the future.

In addition to the facility, five school playgrounds in the Birmingham area have also been redeveloped into Urban Cricket Zones. These zones will help children with an interest in cricket to practice and develop their skills. The schools that have benefited from this project are Calthorpe School Specialist Sports College, St. Albans Academy, Percy Shurmer Primary School, Christ Church CE Primary School and St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School.

Working in partnership with Birmingham City Council and the Warwickshire Cricket Board, the development of the facility and its five supporting zones, creates a tiered community development programme with a clear route for children to follow, from learning basic skills all the way up to playing club cricket.

“As a local lad it's fantastic to see initiatives such as npower Urban Cricket giving youngsters the chance to get out there and play the game," said Bell.

"It’s going to make a real difference to the local community and will hopefully produce more first class cricketers from the Birmingham area."

England fast bowler James Anderson also helped coach youngsters during the launch event.

England players past and present join in the fun on a landmark day for inner-city cricket in the Midlands

“The npower Urban Cricket facilities are a great way of developing a legacy for the game and allowing children in the area to practice their skills," he said.

Councillor Ray Hassall, Cabinet Member for Leisure Sport and Culture at Birmingham City Council, was delighted with the facility.

“The npower Urban Cricket arena at Highgate Park is a real benefit to the city," he said. "It adds to the local facilities we already have and will help young people lead more active lifestyles. Urban Cricket has been rolled out into other areas of the UK with great success and we are very fortunate to have it here in Birmingham too.”

npower Urban Cricket, a grassroots project run in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board, was launched in 2006 with one clear goal: to get more children playing cricket. Since its launch, npower and the ECB have distributed over 60,000 Urban Cricket kits to children in the UK.

In 2007 and 2008, the focus for Urban Cricket has shifted to the development of five facilities with five Urban Cricket zones in school playgrounds surrounding each of the facilities. The first facility was opened by Monty Panesar in South London in August 2007. The second, in Sheffield, was opened by Ryan Sidebottom in April this year.

For more information on Urban Cricket please click here.