Middlesex Cricket is delighted to announce the opening of an ACE Academy at the Club’s Indoor Cricket School in Finchley, north London.
The aim of the ACE (African Caribbean Engagement) Academy is to provide players from the African and/or Caribbean backgrounds an environment where they can unearth their full potential. ACE was launched in 2020 by Ebony Rainford-Brent in response to the decline of black British professional players by 75%, and less than 1% in the recreational game.
Middlesex’s academy is the second academy to open in London and there are already programmes running successfully in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Nottingham too.
Academy players will receive dedicated training programmes and more contact time with coaches, allowing them to understand and further improve their individual game.
On Tuesday 20th February, there will be an open evening at Middlesex Indoor Cricket School. Details of the event can be found below:
Garfield Struthers, Middlesex’s Ace Development Officer, said: “To have this ACE Academy will help provide opportunities for children and young adults from African and/or Caribbean backgrounds to develop as they explore their dreams of forging a career in cricket.
“It is great that Middlesex Cricket are working to help break down barriers and afford young people the chance to be inspired by the game of cricket.
“Hopefully we will start to reap the rewards in the coming years when we see academy graduates make their first team debuts for the Club.”
Middlesex’s Participation Director, Kari Carswell, added: “As a county we are so proud to be working with ACE, it’s a really exciting partnership in Middlesex.
“Garfield is running an ACE Academy for juniors and seniors, and this complements our pathway programme really well. We want to provide everyone in Middlesex an opportunity to play cricket in an enjoyable, safe environment.
“It’s such an exciting time for cricketers in Middlesex.”
The Club looks forward to welcoming players to Finchley on 20th February as we look to build this exciting programme.
To register, visit here.
