Woakes gives backing to ECB's Cricket For Teachers initiative — SkimNews
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- Chris Woakes publicly backed the ECB's new 'Cricket For Teachers' programme and 'Secondary Countdown Cricket' competition, saying school experiences shaped his own love of the game and that the initiatives will introduce cricket to children who 'may never have picked up a bat and ball before.'
- The ECB set a target of reaching more than half of all state secondary schools by the end of 2028, translating to over 3,500 teachers and over 1,700 schools receiving training, resources, equipment, and ongoing support.
- Cricket For Teachers is a free teacher training programme designed to give PE teachers the confidence, skills, and knowledge to deliver quality cricket sessions for students of all abilities.
- Secondary Countdown Cricket is a new mass-participation soft-ball competition for students aged 11 to 16, with funding covering training, equipment, resources, and competitive playing opportunities.
- Woakes, a two-time World Cup winner capped 217 times across formats who retired from international cricket in 2025, becomes the public face of the rollout.
- ECB chair Richard Thompson framed the launch as delivery on the body's State School Action Plan, noting that state schools educate the vast majority of young people in England and Wales.
Why it matters: The ECB has tied this rollout to a specific, measurable 2028 deadline covering 1,700+ schools and 3,500+ teachers — its most concrete execution step on the State School Action Plan. Because state schools educate the majority of young people in England and Wales, the scale of the target speaks directly to whether cricket can broaden its player pipeline beyond the private-school base that has long fed the sport.
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