New Junior Cricket Academy launches at BACA

Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) has announced its newly-launched Junior Cricket Academy, which will be supported by Sussex Cricket.

Building on the success of the sixth-form partnership between the club and the Aldridge Cricket Academy, the BACA Junior Cricket Academy will provide a full GCSE academic curriculum as well as specialist cricket coaching programme for boys and girls entering year seven from September 2019.

Based at the state-of-the-art £1.8m Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre at BACA’s Falmer campus, the programme will mirror the Sussex Cricket junior cricket pathway, with students receiving over four hours of specialist cricket coaching from ECB level three and four coaches each week, fortnightly one-to-one sessions, strength and conditioning sessions specific to the needs of cricketers and a competitive indoor and outdoor fixture programme.

The coaching staff will be made up of a number of current and former Sussex players and coaches, including Sussex Women’s head coach and former captain, Alexia Walker, Sussex Cricket’s current junior cricket pathway under-9 to under-12 lead coach, Tim van Noort, former Sussex pathway coach Simon Funnell and the current Sussex Women’s captain, Georgia Adams.

Discussing the latest component of the club’s partnership with Aldridge schools, Sussex Cricket’s director of cricket, Keith Greenfield said: “The sixth form Aldridge Cricket Academy has been a great success and so we’re delighted to be involved in providing younger pupils the opportunity to follow their passion for cricket while also pursuing an excellent education.

“We strongly believe that pupils in the state sector should also have access to the best coaching and facilities and the BACA Junior Cricket Programme will increase the number of pupils in Sussex benefitting from these.”

The BACA Junior Cricket Academy is launching in September 2019 for boys and girls entering year seven. An information evening will be held at 5pm on Wednesday 13th March at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN1 9PW. To reserve a place please contact alexiawalker@baca-uk.co.uk

The cooperation with Aldridge Cricket Academy is just one part of Sussex Cricket’s partnership with the Aldridge Foundation. The Aldridge Foundation is the sponsor of Sussex Women and both the Sussex Cricket boys and girls junior cricket pathways.

The Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket centre is also home to the Sussex Women. The team will play all their home fixtures at the venue in 2019.