All Stars and Dynamos see Faversham CC go from strength to strength

Faversham Cricket Club’s All Stars and Dynamos programmes have become much more than an introduction to cricket, helping to grow participation, develop volunteers and young leaders, and create new opportunities across the wider club community.

Since beginning their All Stars and Dynamos journey in 2023, Faversham CC have seen their programmes go from strength to strength, with Lead Activators Janet and Charlie playing a key role in their success.

This summer, the club welcomed 34 All Stars, 29 mixed Dynamos and 14 girls through a bursary-funded Girls Dynamos programme. Together, the programmes generated £3,840 in participant revenue, providing valuable income for the club while giving children an enjoyable and welcoming introduction to cricket.

But for Faversham, the impact goes far beyond participation numbers.

“The programmes have helped bring new families into the club, encourage greater parent participation and create opportunities for people to become involved across all areas of the club,” said Lead Activator Charlie.

Creating opportunities for girls and future players

Faversham are particularly proud of the engagement and progression of girls within their programmes. By offering girls-only sessions alongside mixed provision, the club has created opportunities for girls to enjoy cricket in an environment where they feel comfortable, included and supported.

Over the last two years, 25 girls have engaged with the programme, with more than half returning from the previous year, while four have progressed into hardball cricket.

The impact has extended beyond junior cricket, with the success of the programmes helping inspire Faversham to establish a women’s softball team, which now has 16 members. Several are mums whose involvement in cricket began through watching their children play.

The club is also seeing strong progression into hardball cricket, with five players moving up last year and a further nine this year. Faversham’s Dynamos to Hardball Introduction course helps support players as they make that next step, with the programmes providing a pathway into the club’s U12 hardball team.

Young Leader, Connor, explains: “Dynamos will encourage children to play at the club and build the youth teams of the future.”

Developing the next generation

The programmes are also creating opportunities for young people and volunteers to develop their own skills.

Faversham currently have three Activators and six young leaders aged 14–18 supporting their programmes, with four young leaders attending Kent Cricket Foundation Young Leader training. The club has also supported young leaders to progress onto ECB courses, while continuing to recruit new Activators, including parents of children attending the programmes.

Alongside their Activators, Faversham have five qualified coaches supporting Saturday morning sessions.

For the club, providing these development opportunities is an important way of keeping teenagers involved in cricket and helping them build skills for the future.

More cricket, more community

Faversham have also worked hard to provide opportunities beyond their regular Saturday morning sessions.

A Dynamos holiday camp attracted 14 participants, with children taking part in games including Countdown Bats, Cut, Pull and Drive and Dynamos matches scored using the Dynamos app.

The club has entered local Dynamos competitions at Wye and Great Chart, attended an U9 Finals Day at Upchurch and hosted an inter-club and community Dynamos Cricket Festival. The July festival brought together two boys’ teams, a Faversham girls’ team and a Davington School team.

The club has also strengthened its links with the local community, with young leaders supporting the Davington School Summer Fete to promote Faversham’s cricket programmes.

The children themselves highlight the social side of the sessions, with Countdown Bats and Diamond Cricket among their favourite games. Fred said he had improved his batting and bowling, while Johnny particularly enjoyed seeing his friends.

Activator and coach Janet said: “The children are engaged and relaxed, they enjoy the social interaction in the outdoor environment.”

More than just cricket

For Faversham CC, the success of All Stars and Dynamos can be seen across the whole club. Parents have become volunteers, teenagers have developed as young leaders, players have progressed into hardball cricket and parents have even taken up the game themselves particularly Women’s softball.

The club is now planning to continue this growth, with girls-only Dynamos sessions planned for the winter and entries into KCF competitions at Canterbury Christ Church University in the new year.

As Activator Charlie reflects: “Ultimately, the All Stars and Dynamos programmes are about so much more than developing cricketing ability. They have become an important part of our club’s community, bringing children, parents, volunteers, coaches and young leaders together.”

The journey that began in 2023 continues to grow – one child, one family and one volunteer at a time.