We are delighted to share an update on our State School Support programmes, the Oxfordshire Bulls and Oxfordshire Falcons.
Oxfordshire Bulls and Falcons – History
The Oxfordshire Bulls and Falcons programme forms part of Oxfordshire Cricket’s strategy to provide targeted support for state school players who may not receive the same level of opportunity to develop their talent as their peers within the independent sector. Via these programmes, we provide coaching and match play opportunities for state school pathway players in order to help bridge the opportunity gap between independent and state sectors and to assist us in developing a deeper, richer talent pool within the county.
In 2021-2022 we broadened the Oxfordshire Bulls programme to support even more state school children than in previous years and we were extremely proud to introduce the Oxfordshire Falcons programme that offered targeted support for state school girls within our pathway. 49 hours of coaching support across the winter months were supplemented by a total of 24 fixtures, including a Bulls Under 11 v Ace Programme fixture which Oxfordshire Cricket hosted at Wormsley Estate, that followed through the season for a range of girls and boys age groups.
You can find out more about the programmes and their history on our website HERE.
Oxfordshire Bulls & Falcons – 2022/23
In 2022-2023 it is our ambition to sustain the levelling up opportunities afforded by the Oxfordshire Bulls and Falcons programmes and to enhance the offering, removing cost as a barrier for participation by making the programme free-to-access for all state-educated children.
In addition to this, the Oxfordshire Bulls and Falcons’ programmes have expanded to offer greater access to additional support across the Winter months. From November through to April, over 100 hours of coaching support has been offered to state school players within our pathway, who attend School Years 7, 8, 9 & 10.
The summer months will see 24 fixtures across a broader range of age groups. Fixtures are arranged against numerous independent schools within Oxfordshire, as well as other cricketing organisations such as Lords Youth and The Ace Programme.
We are thankful to St Helen & St Katharine School, St Edward’s School and Abingdon School, who host our activity during the winter months, and to all Schools and Organisations who host us for fixtures across the Summer.