Activators Spread Our Summer Game, BatFirst Enters Season Three

As we head into summer, Auckland Cricket is on the look out for School Activators to join our team as we promote our summer game to kids across the region.

Funding from New Zealand Cricket and Aktive allows our Auckland Cricket to cover all areas of Auckland, delivering Awareness sessions to over 9300 kids last summer.

Chief Executive Iain Laxon explains the importance of physical activity and the role Auckland Cricket plays in creating opportunities for the children of Tamaki Makarau.

“Getting kids excited about being active and loving cricket are two key focuses of our awareness and BatFirst programmes.

“Being physically active for the long-term is massively important for physical and mental well-being and we want our programmes to help kids fall in love with being outside and having a bat and ball in their hands.

“Our BatFirst programme is starting to deliver on our Strategy of Representing Auckland by taking cricket to communities that are underrepresented in our sport, namely Maori and Pasifika.

“We want to help support and grow opportunities for kids in these decile one to five schools kids by giving them the basics to have fun and be active with their mates – a bat and ball.”

The task for our Activators is to deliver sessions that are fun, fast and engaging for all involved.

School Engagement Manager Amanda Davies said our Activators help both children and teachers develop a desire to engage with cricket further.

“The fun environment our Activators provide for tamariki in schools aim to create a curiosity for cricket which may start a lifelong love of the game through playing, coaching, umpiring, volunteering etc. or wider general physical activity.

“The Activators are the coal face of delivery across Tamaki Makaurau and are vital to an ongoing connection and awareness with this earliest memory of enjoying cricket through active play.”

BatFirst, Auckland Cricket’s flagship awareness programme, saw more than 1750 kids from decile 1-5 receive a customisable Kookaburra bat and a ball set in 2020/21.

Dean Bartlett, General Manager of Community Cricket, said “BatFirst is a vital component of our strategic goal to make cricket a game for all New Zealanders and a game for life.

“Giving the kids a bat that they can keep, watching them customise them with felts to truly make it their own and then seeing them explore how they can use it by hitting balls is amazing to see.

“It introduces our summer game to thousands who may not have had the opportunity to experience it otherwise.”

Recruitment is underway for this summer’s Activators. This is your chance to get out in the community and showcase what our great game has to offer.

For more information about our Activators and how to apply, click here.

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