Market Drayton sports club vows to improve facilities after winning award

It comes after Market Drayton Community Amateur Sports Club won the Getting Active Team Sports Award in this year's Fields in Trust Awards.

The club, which is built around cricket, squash and hockey, is currently looking to increase participation in cricket with improved coaching and practice facilities.

Michael Pinches, chairman of the club, said: "We are currently working on a project to increase participation in cricket by offering the improved facilities. We will encourage increased involvement for junior and senior players and continue the current trend of increased participation.

"Two principal drivers of our plans are to engage with young people to teach the benefits of regular physical activity and to engage with people who currently do not take part in sporting activity and encourage this underrepresented group to become more active.

"We want to create improved facilities for exercise classes and to improve the facilities we can offer to our resident clubs for boxing and judo. These sports are seen as fantastic vehicles to get young people to become active and enjoy each other's friendship in a supportive and helpful environment. Parents are encouraged to stay and see the activities and to provide support for exercise and fitness between classes. In this way we hope to provide gateways to sport for people who are not attracted by other activities while helping to teach courtesy, respect, self control, discipline within social and community development."

Each year the Fields in Trust Awards showcase some of the UK’s best open spaces.

The awards shine a light on the efforts and achievements of the people whose tireless dedication ensures that these vital outdoor spaces can be enjoyed by the public.

Describing the club in Market Drayton, Fields in Trust said: “In 2017 the club has doubled participation in cricket compared with 2016 and have more than 85 cricketers from age six upwards playing weekly throughout the year.

“They actively encourage junior girls and disabled cricketers and many junior players have reached Shropshire county level.

“They now have a third men’s team which is a bridge between the higher age group junior teams and senior cricket.”

Mr Pinches added: "Winning this prestigious award is a huge honour for us and we hope that it will help us to gain momentum in our continuing improvements. We are always seeking support and volunteers from our community and hope our profile will be raised by winning this national accolade."