The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has partnered with Google Digital Garage to offer recreational cricket clubs digital marketing and online presence training, becoming the first national governing body to collaborate with the Google initiative.
As part of the agreement, cricket clubs will be given access to free digital skills training sessions. Whilst Google Digital Garage lessons had previously been face-to-face, in order to accommodate with government guidelines the sessions available to ECB will be run digitally.
Nick Pryde, ECB’s director of Participation and Growth, stated: “We’re delighted to still be able to offer hundreds of clubs access to free digital training in partnership with Google Digital Garage.
“We’re always looking for innovative ways to support the recreational game, which is the lifeblood of the sport, so the ability to run these sessions online will provide a real boost to clubs.
“In these challenging times, clubs will be looking to connect with their members digitally, as well as attracting new members for when play resumes across the country.”
Google Digital Garage’s sessions include three webinars which will run weekly, with the first session occurring yesterday. These sessions, streamed on Youtube, discuss various topics including digital marketing strategy, digital advertising and increasing viability on Google.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston commented: “Local cricket clubs are so valuable to communities across the country and it’s brilliant to see the worlds of sport and tech coming together in this way.
“I urge clubs to take advantage of this opportunity to build their digital skills so they can expand their online reach, and attract new members for when it’s safe to resume their normal activities.”
Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland Managing Director, added: “Now more than ever, having the right digital skills can have a transformative impact on business sustainability, growth and job creation.
“By partnering with the ECB, to provide free live webinar training through the Digital Garage, we hope to inspire and upskill individuals and cricket clubs across England and Wales, helping people to grow their skills from home. Despite the ongoing uncertainty, we want to show how digital skills can help people and businesses restart and thrive.”
The Google Digital Garage partnership is part of the ECB’s Together Through This Test initiative, which highlights the work various cricket clubs, players and organisations have done in response to the global health crisis.
