Sussex Cricket Announces Official Partnership with Ardingly College

Sussex Cricket Announces Official Partnership with Ardingly College

Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce a new partnership with Ardingly College, a collaboration designed to widen access to outstanding cricket facilities and opportunities for young people across the County. 

The partnership is built around a shared commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and long-term growth, providing year-round access to high-quality cricket facilities for children from both state and independent education. 

It aims to remove historic barriers to participation and help create a more representative and sustainable future for the game in Sussex.

A key focus of the agreement is its support to the Sussex Cricket Foundation, where the outstanding facilities at Ardingly College will be used to host various events for state primary and secondary schools, as well as support ongoing programmes and initiatives to continue growing the game and making it accessible to all.

Central to the partnership is Ardingly College’s headline sponsorship and support for Blackstone Academy Cricket Ground, a vital hub for cricket in Sussex. 

Blackstone hosts a large proportion of the county’s junior pathway cricket for boys and girls, academy teams, Second XI cricket, and a wide range of grassroots, participation and disability cricket, underlining Sussex Cricket’s commitment to ensuring the game is accessible to all.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Director for the Sussex Cricket Foundation, “We are delighted to welcome Ardingly College to the Sussex Cricket family and as headline sponsors of our Academy Ground at Blackstone. This partnership will help support the development of cricket across the County for all ages, abilities and genders. We are particularly excited about the support it will provide to State Schools and our exciting plans to revolutionise cricket in primary and secondary schools”.

Ben Figgis, Headmaster at Ardingly College, “Our partnership with Sussex Cricket marks an exciting new chapter for cricket at Ardingly and builds on our long-standing relationship with the County club. Old Ardinian Tom Clark is the most recent cricketer in a long and distinguished line of former Ardingly students to represent Sussex, and we are proud of the strong connections that already exist between our communities. This new partnership will take that relationship to the next level.”

“This partnership also reflects the College’s firm commitment to developing our cricket programme for both boys and girls, supported by a team of professional cricket coaches and ongoing investment in enhanced facilities, including a fantastic new net facility. Importantly, this collaboration aligns with our aim to widen access and create meaningful cricketing opportunities for young people across Sussex.”

“We look forward to working closely with Sussex Cricket to strengthen pathways, nurture talent, and support the growth of the game at every level.”

The partnership comes into effect immediately and marks an exciting step forward for cricket across Sussex.