Get Set Weekend has for many years been a pre-season focal point for clubs up and down the country.

In 2024, the national Get Set Weekend will take place on 23-24 March, however, clubs are encouraged to take part on alternative dates if the 23-24 March is not suitable.

The Weekend is a fantastic opportunity to inspire new and existing volunteers to spend time at their local club, helping it to ‘get set’ for the upcoming season.

The Get Set Weekend is powered by The Cricket Collective: the volunteers who drive and deliver all areas of the sport. In 2023, over 20,000 people got involved across England and Wales, supporting their clubs and local communities.

Top tips to event success

To make the most of your Get Set Weekend activities, we wanted to share some ‘Top Tips’ to a successful event:

Ahead of the event:

  • Register your event via the ECB website by Thursday 29 February and your club will be entered into a draw to receive Jewson store credit up to the value of £500.
  • Promote your event among your community using the various resources on the ECB Resource Hub.
  • Think about:
    • Putting up posters in your clubhouse and in local community venues.
    • Promoting the event on your club website and social media channels - don’t forget to use #GetSetWeekend and #TheCricketCollective.
    • Sending an email to parents, players, and club members, explaining how important their help will be to the club but not forgetting to emphasise the fun too!
  • Get as many volunteers as possible down to the club by:
    • Incentivising volunteers by organising a social element too.
    • Contacting parents registered as part of National Programmes, even consider running some informal sessions for the children to keep them busy.
    • Speak to the clubs/teams that hire or share the facilities and ask them to be involved in the event.
  • Create task lists in advance and assign roles to volunteers when they arrive, to help with smooth running on the day.
    • Devise a wet weather plan for indoor jobs as a precaution.

On the day:

  • Make sure you give a warm welcome to everyone as they arrive, particularly anyone that’s new to the club. A good first impression goes a very long way.
  • Showcase the event on social media using the #GetSetWeekend and #TheCricketCollective, the ECB will be resharing the best content.
  • Provide volunteers with food and refreshments throughout the day.
  • Have a visible task list that you can tick off as things are completed so everyone can see and celebrate the progress made.
  • Offer some games, entertainment or even a friendly softball game to keep kids entertained while their parents get stuck in!
  • Say ‘Thank you’ to all volunteers for their support across the weekend.
  • For any incomplete jobs, assign to a volunteer(s) and agree a completion date.

Post event:

  • Don’t forget to send another thank you to everyone who attended.
  • Contact the volunteers who supported about ongoing opportunities throughout the season.
  • Create/update task lists for ongoing roles throughout the season and assign roles to volunteers.
  • Consider running a similar event to help complete the ‘end of season’ work once the last game has been played.

THE CRICKET COLLECTIVE

Cricket simply wouldn’t exist without an amazing team of volunteers making the game happen week in and week out.

A recent survey highlighted the need for a volunteer identity, with only 21% of volunteers* feeling volunteering in cricket gets the recognition it deserves. To help improve the volunteer landscape across the game, in June 2023, The Cricket Collective was born.

The Cricket Collective is the army of volunteers that make cricket happen. It is the person who dedicates their life for 20 years,
and the person who contributes 30 minutes every two weeks. It is the long drives to away games, making the tea, or cutting the grass. It’s anyone who dedicates time to ensure that recreational cricket goes ahead and helps to connect and inspire their local community and it has never been more important.

The Cricket Collective is integral to delivering the game we all love and helping to build collaborative and cohesive communities.

This Get Set Weekend, we encourage you all to take the opportunity not only to prepare your clubhouse, sweep away the leaves, and paint the benches, but to inspire and engage your volunteers.

Cricket can’t happen without its people. The Get Set Weekend is your chance to get your volunteers – new and existing – ready and feeling motivated for the season ahead.