ECB to piggyback Ashes for school funding push

by Ravi Chandiramani, PR Week UK 19-Aug-05

The England & Wales Cricket Board is stepping up its campaign for more grassroots funding of the game, as the Ashes series sees the sport generate levels of interest not witnessed for years.

The governing body has hired AS Biss & Co as its first retained public
adviser to intensify pressure on the Government to fund cricket in state
schools.

Explaining the timing of the appointment, ECB head of comms Colin Gibson

said: 'Success is very marketable. We have to capitalise on the current

interest and it matters that the England team is seen to be
successful.'

AS Biss will support 'Chance to Shine', the ten-year campaign to boost
state school funding launched in May and driven by the ECB's charitable
arm the Cricket Foundation. It aims to bring cricket back into the
school curriculum by providing coaches, pitches, equipment and
opportunities for competitive games.

Although ten of England's starting XI in the Ashes attended state
schools (the exception being Andrew Strauss), all honed their talent at
local clubs.

Chance to Shine's target is to generate £25m from sponsors over
the first three years and hopes the Government will match the figure
raised. It wants the sport to be played regularly in at least one third
of state schools.

The agency will also lobby to make ticket touting at test matches
illegal and bolster interest in the women's game, said AS Biss senior
consultant and head of sports advocacy Tim Payton.

It is also informing MPs of 'Building Partnerships', the body's
five-year blueprint for the development of the game up to the end of
this decade.

AS Biss has provided consultancy for the ECB in the past on a project
basis.

Gibson joined the ECB in March. He resigned as FA director of comms last
year amid a media firestorm that led to the exit of its CEO over
allegations of an affair with secretary Faria Alam.

Leader, p17.