Youth Cricket Academy

The first festival the YCA hosted was in December 2001 and is called the 'Cricket Week'. This festival has subsequently grown each year and now sees over 350 boys playing cricket matches each day for the first six days of their December holiday. Ages 3 - 8 years old play a somewhat less formal version of cricket as their ability allows. Ages 9 - 18 play formal cricket matches on prepared pitches on fields at our facility and others hired to accommodate this massive interest. In December 2007 the YCA had 136 boys aged from 3 --8 playing mini cricket from preschool to grade 2. The 'Cricket Week' supplied hard ball orthodox cricket matches to 66 Grade 3s, 44 grade 4s, 44 grade 5s, 44 under 13s and 24 high school boys. This festival culminates in two separate prize giving's on the final day for soft ball mini cricketers and the hard ball orthodox cricketers in a big marquee that sees 1000 parents cheer on the prize winners. Five extra cricket facilities are hired each year to cater for all the cricketers participating in this annual event.

The YCA's DVD festival takes place in the September and January holidays and sees the 100 capacity cricketers that attend receive a net practice of 5 hours, pitch practice of 2 hours, a fielding practice of 4 hours spread out over 3 days. All cricketers then have their batting, bowling and fielding individually DVD' and then played back to them so they can see their progress on screen and see which areas are requiring attention, and which areas are looking solid. The advantages of DVD/Video analysis are extensive, but for many it is difficult to obtain.

The YCA's 'Skills Festival' also takes place in the September and January Holidays. Fifteen skill testing stations are designed and set up at our facility and all enrolled cricketers, of which there are in excess of 100, have their batting, bowling and fielding individually analyzed. Each cricketer receives a score card, and rotates through the 15 skill stations acquiring points reflecting his mastering of the tasks set before him. Upon completing the 3 day course each player receives his score card with each conceivable aspect of his performance analyzed to clearly indicate which areas of his game need attention, and which areas he is proficient in.