Yorkshire Cricket Foundation and Zero Waste Leeds offer free cricket kit to families

That’s why Yorkshire Cricket Foundation (YCF) and Zero Waste Leeds are calling on cricket clubs across the region to embrace a new kit recycling scheme to help support accessibility in the game.

It follows a ‘Cric-Kit’ launch by the two organisations in Leeds last month, when more than 350 people attended and were able to select kit for free from an extensive ‘walk-in-wardrobe' set up at the Bilal Sports Centre, in Harehills. The launch - one of the first events in the city to create awareness around recycling sports kit and supported by Leeds chairty Junior Sports Hub - distributed roughly 1,100 pieces of donated cricket equipment and garments, which would have cost around £18,700 if bought new, according to Together for Sport research. Northern Diamonds women’s cricket team players Beth Langston and Steere Kalis attended the event alongside 50 Yorkshire Cricket College students - as part of the Foundation’s National Citizen Service and ‘Changemakers’ programmes.

Cricket kit can cost hundreds of pounds a year and as household bills rise, the option of getting cricket kit for free means that families can spent their money elsewhere.

Maimuna Joborteh, 46, from Harehills, who attended the community event and selected items for her five-year-old son Yakub. She said: “I was working before, now I’m not working , so things are really hard for me.

“It’s very difficult paying for things like electricity, gas, and other bills. It is not easy for us, and many others, at the moment.

“When I heard about the event I was so happy and pleased to come along and collect some items for my son.”

Zainab Mahmood, 24, a cricket coach from Beeston, added: “The cost of cricket equipment can be a major barrier stopping people getting involved in cricket – it’s brilliant to see something like this launching.

“Hopefully more cricket clubs and sports clubs in general will be inspired and get involved with Cric-Kit.”

Together for Sport has also calculated that 10,406kg of CO2 emissions were saved with the donations, and almost half a tonne (484kg) of potential textile waste was prevented from ending up in a landfill.

A new ‘Cric-Kit’ hub has also opened at Headingley Stadium.

Kendal James, participation manager for YCF, and founder of the initiative, said: “As part of the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation within Participation our job is to try to break down barriers and one of the biggest barriers we know in cricket is in fact the equipment. And added on top of this - given the current climate with inflation and how expensive things are we wanted to rally round and find as many opportunities to show case that we can reuse, recycle and donate kit to those that need it to be able to access cricket further.”

To get involved, contact [email protected]