The 2023 Grassroots Cricket Awards are now open for nominations, with those shortlisted set to be celebrated at the largest Volunteer Recognition event at Seat Unique Riverside.
The awards are held to recognise the efforts and dedication hundreds of volunteers across Durham put into the recreational game every season.
Shortlisted nominees will be invited to an exclusive presentation event at the home of Durham Cricket on Friday, 11th August, as the team takes on Derbyshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
The event forms part of a broader initiative at Durham’s Community Day, which will celebrate the community work which is being delivered every season from the cricket network in Durham.
As a thank you, everyone who submits a nomination will also be invited to watch the One-Day Cup game from a hospitality box at Seat Unique Riverside.
Nominations can be made across 15 diverse award categories, including the newest additions: “Tackling Climate Change”, “Volunteer Grounds Management Team of the Year”, and “SafeHands Award”.
The awards this year also feature three categories reserved for coaching: “Coach of the Year”, “Young Coach of the Year” and “Services to Coaching”.
In Durham, we continue to retain two local categories that pay tribute to the development of women’s and girls’ cricket, as well as clubs making extraordinary contributions to national programmes through All Stars Cricket and/or Dynamos Cricket.
The winners of each category will be put forward to The Cricket Collective National Awards.
Past nominees who were not successful, but continue to make worthwhile contributions as volunteers, can be considered for these awards upon submission of an updated testimonial.
Categories
- Connecting Communities – a club or community organisation which has gone above and beyond the call of cricket to support communities/groups coming back to the game we
- Inspired to play – an individual or group within your club or community organisation going above and beyond to open the game up to new
- Young Volunteer – young volunteer making a difference – 11 – 16-year-olds and 17-25-year-olds
- Unsung hero – those heroes who impact our game and help us make cricket happen. This could be ground staff, coaches, officials, umpires, or other volunteers.
- Growing the game – a league volunteer, committee member, or administrator going above and beyond to support clubs and help increase the number of games
- Lifetime Achiever – that one individual who has given many years of service to your club or community group you could not do without
- Cricket Innovators – Someone who has brought new ideas and/or implemented new systems to improve your club or community
- SafeHands Award – An individual that has gone above and beyond to create a positive environment for young people to enjoy the game
- Volunteer Grounds Management Team of the Year – this award will recognise those who are working hard to improve the places where the game is played
- Tackling Climate Change – a club or community organisation that is addressing the threat climate change poses to cricket, by making sustainable changes to operations, adapting their facilities and/or engaging their local community
- Women’s and Girls’ Cricket Development – dedicated to volunteers who have supported the growth and quality of participation opportunities for women and girls.
- National Programmes Club of the Year – a club that has demonstrated commitment to grow and professionally deliver All Stars Cricket and/or Dynamos Cricket in 2023
- Coach of the Year – a coach who goes the extra mile and is a true coaching hero to their club, league, county or school.
- Young Coach of the Year – a young person, aged 16-25, who is already making a difference and is passing on their enthusiasm for the game and inspiring the next generation of players
- Services to Coaching –this award is designed to highlight the long and dedicated service of a volunteer, who has supported performance and participation through coaching at school, club, league and/ or county level.
How to nominate
You can find the criteria for each category in the link below.
Please note that winners are judged on the quality of the testimonials provided, not the number of nominations.
Testimonials should be no more than 200 words.