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Cricket for Change takes Blind Cricket to the USA
Jan 20, 2010
Leading community cricket charity, ‘Cricket for Change’ has been asked by the United States Cricket Association (USACA) and Visions (a US based charity for the blind) to help set up Blind Cricket in the USA with a link to the World Blind Cricket Council who run the Blind Cricket World Cup, with the next world cup due to be in the UK in 2011.
The programme in the USA is being made possible through the support of British Airways who are flying out the Cricket for Change Development Team which will be led by the charity’s Director of Programmes, Andy Dalby-Welsh, who is himself visually impaired and who played in two world cups for the England Blind Cricket Team.
The plan is to launch Blind Cricket in the USA on Saturday 30th January 2010 with a demonstration of the sport at an indoor venue in Manhattan followed by a one day introductory training programme for coaches from the USACA and blind players from Visions.
Following the January launch the plan is to run a four day coaching programme running from April 23rd to 26th 2010 with each of the USA’s state cricket associations sending coaching delegates to New York for the training. The USACA and Visions have both said that they are very excited about this project for two reasons; (1) There are very few team sports that are suitable for blind people to play and; (2) there are even fewer team sports for blind people that involve regular international competition.
Cricket for Change President, Phil Tufnell said, “Our development team do some brilliant work overseas and this will be the about the 10th country we have introduced Blind Cricket into. I just wish I was going to New York with them but they haven’t invited me!”
Andy Dalby-Welsh, Cricket for Change Director of Programmes, said, “Having lost my sight when I was twenty. Blind Cricket changed my life. It gave me the opportunity to compete in an international team game and travel the world. I hope that thousands of visually impaired Americans will soon have the same opportunity.”
Clifford Hinds from the United States Cricket Association (USACA) said, “This is a great opportunity for the USACA to reach out to a group that has not had the opportunity to participate in sports of any kind. We are confident that the programme will be a success and that it will grow from New York to many other major cities of the USA. Thank you, Cricket for Change”.
