FROM THE HALBERG GAMES TO THE CRICKET PITCH: NORTHERN DISTRCT CRICKET ASSOCIATION LEAD THE WAY IN INCLUSION.
What started as a volunteer experience at the Halberg Games has grown into lasting change on the cricket field.
Earlier this year, three members of Northern District Cricket’s Community Development team volunteered at the Halberg Games – a national three-day sports festival where young people with disabilities compete, play, and connect through sport. Inspired by the athletes they met and the inclusive environment they witnessed, the team returned home determined to make a difference in their own community.
That determination led to Northern Districts partnering with Halberg Foundation to participate in an Inclusion Training – a free practical workshop designed to give coaches, administrators, and volunteers the tools to adapt activities so that every child, regardless of ability, feels welcome and supported.
“After volunteering at the Games, we realised how much more we could do to ensure cricket is a game to all,” says Matt. “Working with Halberg has given our team the confidence and skills to create that environment.”
The training is already making an impact, with Northern District embedding inclusion into the way they coach and deliver the game across their region.
Halberg Chief Executive Tom Smith, says it’s a powerful example of the Games’ legacy in action.
“Our vision is to make sure sport and recreation is accessible for every young person with a physical disability. To see Northern Districts take they experienced at the Halberg Games and weave it into their own delivery is what inclusion in action looks like.”
