1. 1
Acknowledgements:
First of all, I would like to thank my tutor Chris Cutforth for all of his advice, feedback and
responses to sometimes obvious questions. For that I am hugely grateful.
Secondly I would like to thank my family for their endless support throughout my time at
University as well as my flat mates who have kept me motivated and had to listen to me talk
about this project every day since the New Year. Sorry lads!
Finally I would like to thank all the participants who agreed to take part in the study, without
you this project would have never happened and I hope that your organisations and Cricket
clubs continue to be successful and grow.
2. 2
Abstract
1 - aimof the study
2 - literature - general terms/desciribingthe literature themes
3- describe methods - constructivist and interpretivist
4- results - key findings? summarise…
5. recommendations have been provided for the purpose of helping the organisations
involved in the study…
Key Words
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………
Abstract……………………………………………………………………..
3. 3
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Cricket Participation……………………………………………………………………
1.2 The Challenges Facing Modern Day Cricket……………………………………….
1.3 Reason for the Chosen Subject Area and Rationale ………………………………
1.4 Title, Aims and Objectives……………………………………………………………
1.4.1. Working Title……………………………………………………………………
1.4.2. Research Aim……………………………………………………………………
1.4.3. Research Objectives…………………………………………………………...
CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………….
2.2 Participant Retention………………………………………………………………
2.3 Youth Participation and Engagement in Sport (Reasons for Participating)……….
2.4 Theories and Literature on Participant Drop-out…………………………………,..
2.5 Coaching Literature…………………………………………………………………..
2.6 Talent Development and the Transition from Junior to Senior Cricket………….
2.7 Club Development and Sustainability…………………………………………………
2.8 Summary………………………………………………………………………………..
CHAPTER 3 – METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………
3.2 Rationale for the Three Selected Cricket Clubs………………………………
3.3 Participant Recruitment Procedures………………………………………….
3.4 Primary Research – Questionnaires…………………………………………
3.4.1 Questionnaire Design and Piloting…………………………….
3.5 Primary Research – Interviews……………………………………………….
4. 4
3.5.1 Interview Design and Piloting……………………………………
3.6 Primary Research – Focus Groups………………………………………………
3.7 Ethical Considerations……………………………………………………………..
3.8 Reliability and Validity of Data……………………………………………………..
3.8.1 Reliability……………………………………………………………….
3.8.2 Validity……………………………………………………………………..
3.9 Data Collection – Questionnaires, Interviews and Focus Groups…………………...
3.9.1 Who Undertook the Data Collection and Factors Which Might Affect the
…………………………………………………………………………
3.9.2 Order and Timing of Tests – Questionnaires/Interviews/Focus Groups
………………………………………………………………………………………
…
3.9.3 Analysis of the Data (How it was Analysed)…………………
3.9.3 Research Design – Strengths and Limitations……………………..
CHAPTER 4 - RESULTS & DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………
4.2 Results and Discussion….…………………………………………………….
4.2.1 Motives for Participation………………………………………
4.2.2 Main Barriers to Participation……………………………………
4.2.3 Coach Interviews and Focus Group Analysis…………………………
4.2.4 A Local and Regional Perspective…………………………………..
4.2.5 Identified Differences Between the Two Cricket Clubs…………….
CHAPTER 5 – CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS
Results
5. 5
5.1 Introduction………………………………………………………….
5.2 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….
5.2.1 A Summary of the Findings……………………………………..
5.2.2 Was the Aim and Objectives of the Investigation Achieved?...............
5.2.3 Future Recommendations for Additional Research…………………..
5.2.4 Limitations of the Research Study…………………………………..
5.3 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………..
5.3.1 Recommendations for South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board -
5.3.2 Recommendations for Mexborough Cricket Club……………………
5.3.3 Recommendations for Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club………….
CHAPTER 6 – REFERENCE LIST…………………………………………
CHAPTER 7 – APPENDICES ……………………………………………….
List of Tables
Table 1a – Reliability Issues and Control Measures…………………..
Table 1b – Validity Issues and Control Measures…………………….
List of Figures
Figure 1 – Active People Survey: Once a Week Participation 16-25 year olds -
Figure 2 – Yorkshire Discover Workshop: Is Cost a Barrier to the Amount of Cricket
Played
Figure 3 – Traditional and Games Style Coaching Approach…………………
Figure 4 – England and Wales Cricket Board: Cricket Pathway……………….
Figure 5 – Model of Sustainable Development………………………………….
Figure 6 – “What do you Look for Most out of Cricket”: ………………..
Figure 7 – Questionnaire Responses: Reasons That Would Stop Participation …….
6. 6
Figure 8 – “If Possible, Would You Train More?” ………………………………………
7. 7
Chapter 1 - Introduction:
There is growing acceptance of the role that sport has in helping to create strong, cohesive
and sustainable communities (Sport England, 2008). Sport England are the primary
organisation that focus on community sport by working with national governing bodies, clubs
and volunteers in order to create a positive sporting culture in this country, with an overall
focus to increase the participation rates in the 14-25 age bracket (Sport England, 2014).
1.1 Cricket Participation
Goulding (2014) made reference to the national cricket team’s recent success, stating it as
an ‘end of an era’. This is likely to draw attention to the grass-roots game and whether as a
country there are systems in place to provide a successful and sustainable recreational
game. The England and Wales Cricket Board are the national governing body (NGB) for
Cricket and like many NGB’s are under a lot of pressure to perform well. With the active
people survey showing a 15,400 decrease from 204,800 to 189,400 from the first to the
latest publication (Active people survey 2 2008; Active People Survey 2013).These statistics
are not positive for cricket. Showing that an added importance needs to be placed on
understanding participant requirements, whilst also gathering participants’ thoughts
surrounding grass-roots cricket as a whole and to also understand any issues surrounding
the community cricket clubs which could impact upon club development.
1.2 The Challenges Facing Modern Day Cricket.
Society is progressing at such a pace that Cricket has had to change and progress too, with
different formats of the game being introduced at a national and local level to account for the
growing demands of society. With some arguing that the game should remain old fashioned
in order to preserve the underpinning values associated with Cricket (The Hindu, 2014).
With these values helping to contribute to a healthy and active lifestyle as well as providing a
chance for everybody involved to be a part of a team (England and Wales Cricket Board,
2014).
With cricket idolised as a ‘gentleman’s game’, Simkins (2011) states ‘The social game
encompasses all the good old-fashioned British traditions’. But as good as these traditions
are, sport is becoming more professionalised at a community level and if Cricket fail to adopt
a more professionalised approach to the club structure, are in danger of being left behind
due to the fixed ideological opinions rooted in Cricket. This approach filters throughout all
dynamics of the club, including board members’ attitudes towards change, coaching
methods used on junior participants all the way to the attitude of the players themselves.
These factors and the cricketing values will have to be considered when conducting the
research for this study with Chasseaud (2015) commentating after England's recent world
cup failure quoting 'we must tap talent from the whole population, not from the privileged
few'.
8. 8
1.3 Reason for the Chosen Subject Area and Rationale
As an undergraduate the researcher undertook a placement in the previous academic year
at Yorkshire Cricket Board which he found both educational and influential. From working
within the organisation for 6 weeks the researcher developed an added interest and
refinement to the subject matter that he already had an interest in. With an extended network
of contacts through the placement, the idea of this thesis was formed. As an individual who
wants to pursue a career in sport development in the future and with a specific interest in
Cricket, the researcher will hope to carry out an in-depth investigation in to the chosen topic
area and identify any issues which could be present. Hopefully using the findings from the
study to help Cricketing organisations in the future, either at a local or regional level.
The overall purpose of this study is to investigate and understand any factors that could
affect the under 15 age group from continued participation in Cricket. With an understanding
of why participants this age participate and a gathered insight of the coaching mentalities
applied to this age group, it will allow recommendations to be made to the two clubs
partaking in the study on how to solve any relevant issues, if at all there is any, surrounding
this age group.
Also with the researcher’s contacts at Yorkshire Cricket Board, results and findings will be
passed on and shared, hopefully adding some valuable findings for them to consider in the
future. The two cricket clubs in this study are Sheffield Collegiate and Mexborough cricket
club as they agreed to partake in the study, they are both located in South Yorkshire and
more information on the three cricket clubs will be evidenced in the methodology section.
WAS THE PROJECT NEEDS LED??
1.4 Title, Aims and Objectives
1.4.1 Working Title:
“An investigative study exploring the positives and negatives of grass-roots Cricket in South
Yorkshire, using a case study research design with specific reference to under 15
participants, coaching, and club development."
1.4.2 Research Aim:
To identify any factors from two cricket clubs within South Yorkshire that influences the
participation of the Under 15 age group and to explore the coaching that is delivered to this
age group.
9. 9
1.4.3 Research Objectives:
1. Identify motives for continued participation of the Under 15 participants.
2. To explore the reasons which would cause participants at the under 15 age group to
drop-out.
3. To ask the under 15 participants of both clubs to identify and comment on the
coaching they receive. From both a positive and negative perspective.
4. To gather an insight on the coaches thoughts on grass-roots cricket from the three
cricket clubs and to understand their coaching methods and techniques.
5. To develop and then provide recommendations to the two cricket clubs following the
investigation by highlighting some of the themes found throughout the research
study.
6. To gain an understanding of the role that South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire
Cricket Board have on the development of grass-roots cricket and following the data
collection process, to make recommendations from my findings to the respective
partners.
10. 10
Chapter 2 - Literature Review:
Chance to shine
2.1. Introduction
Literature surrounding motives for participation and participant drop-out in the 14-25 age
bracket has increased in the coming years. With an added focus from the government to
increase participation rates and retain the participation of participants currently active in
community sport. The latest government policy - Creating a Sporting Habit for Life, gave
specific instruction to the governing bodies of sport to focus on youth participation with over
250 million going in to community sport (Creating a Sporting Habit for Life, 2012).
In terms of Cricket literature the depth of analysis from the England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB) on the systems in place has increased, with the ECB and Yorkshire Cricket Board
(the governing body most relevant to this study) stating that there are three types of players
who participate in Cricket: core, occasional, and cameo and the figures relating directly to
Yorkshire indicate that in the 14-19 age bracket 18,1116 were occasional players compared
to 66,845 core players (Yorkshire Discover Workshop,2013). A significant difference and a
difference that questions why participants in the occasional 14-19 age bracket aren’t a part
of the core quota. This literature review will explore factors such as club structure, coaching
techniques and reasons for participant drop out with the discussions surrounding these
topics giving underpinning knowledge and theory to the research question.
2.2. Participant Retention:
The phrase retention is described as the continued use of something (Oxford dictionary, no
date) and in a sporting context can be explained where a participant plays a sport and
continues playing as their development progresses. Retention can be related and transferred
from a business organisation to a sporting context. The impression that an individual first
gets within an organisation can have a significant impact on how long they are likely to be a
part of that organisation (Leech, 2005). Allentuck (2006) explains employee retention as
‘making them feel wanted’ and transferring that into a cricket specific context making the
junior participants feel a part of the game with equal opportunities being provided when it
comes to the selection of players which would be a key element when it comes to retaining
participants (Sport and Recreation, 2000).
So in order to ensure that the junior participants remain a part of the Cricket club the
fundamentals of coaching, the club as a whole and inclusiveness of the club needs to be
evidenced and will be discussed further on in the literature review.
The introduction of Sport England’s strategy in 2008 of ‘grow, sustain, excel’ offered an
opportunity to truly engage grass roots sport delivery with a preliminary aim to stop the
decline of sport participation, but it can be argued that this opportunity was missed (Charlton,
2010). With a Cricket focus at the forefront the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2013
showed an 18,700 decrease in age 16-19 year olds partaking in Cricket, from 63,500 to
44,800 (Active people survey 2 2008; Active People Survey 2013). Making sporting retention
across all sports pivotal to the Sport England strategy of 2012-17 with Sport England (2012)
11. 11
stating their aims as ‘see more people taking on and keeping a sporting habit for life’ along
with ‘an excellent sporting experience for existing participants to keep them playing sport.’
With these objectives directly linked to the national governing bodies whole sport plans, it is
important that they take ownership and that programmes and strategies are put in place to
correlate with Sport England’s specified objectives. The England and Wales Cricket Board
and the managing director of Cricket partnerships Mike Gatting stated “the 15 to 19 age
group is a key area for the overall development of the grassroots game” causing a new
approach to Cricket being taken in May last year with a new Under 19 t20 tournament being
launched with the aim to improve retention rates for younger participants and increase the
transfer of players from junior to senior Cricket (English Cricket Board, 2014). The
emergence of t20 cricket and the way that the ECB has used this format of the game is
argued by Rumford (2013) to be the source of negative development in Cricket, with the
traditional origins of the game being forgotten. Also the England and Wales Cricket Boards
club support of ‘stay in the game’ suggested sustainability would be achieved through the
retention of players with them putting together a top tips page which can be seen in
appendix 2 which aims to help clubs keep young participants a part of the game (English
Cricket Board, 2014).
However, despite the increase of popularity in this format of the game the overall
participation rates for Cricket showed a decrease of 7% from 908,000 to 844,00 which was
recorded in 2014 (English Cricket Board, 2014). Highlighting the on-going problem cricket is
having of retaining players across all formats of the game.
2.3. Youth Participation and Engagement in Sport: (reasons for participating)
There has been a lot of research on the reasons why young people participate in sport and
by understanding some of these reasons why they participate it will enable the data that has
been collected to be linked back to academic sources and compared for similarities and
differences. But understanding why children participate in sport is not a simple matter, with
suggestions that children may participate for many reasons other than the demonstration of
competence (Klint and Weiss, 1987). Also ,with Gibbons (2007) stating that winning is a
concept that parents and coaches over emphasise and is seen by the participants as not the
only kind of success and not the only reason why they participate in sport. Participation in
sport can help build self-esteem and confidence but it is the individuals themselves that have
their own specific answer and reason as to why they participate (Davis, 2013; Stratton,
2014). Weiss and Williams (2003) suggest that children strive for opportunities in sport
where they can be challenged, have fun and enjoy the experience and consequently this
increases their self-esteem and confidence. If the participant believed that taking part in
regular physical activity would lead to valuable consequences they would be expected to
have a positive attitude towards physical activity. In a motivational sense, sports that engage
the whole participant through components such as values, social relevance, cognitive
understanding as well as the other physical aspects are said to be more satisfying and lead
to longer lasting commitment (Roberts, 1989). With Weinberg and Tenenbaum et al (2000)
finding that motives for participation generally differed from competitive sport to physical
activity and suggested that individual strategies would need to be adhered to in relation to
each specific activity in order to maximise participation.
12. 12
It is important to look at why participants play sport from different perspectives, with the
Australian Sports Commission (2015) identifying 4 key reasons which are stated below:
To have fun with their friends
For excitement and enjoyment
To experience challenge, achievement and personal responsibility
To improve their skills
From these reasons above the study will be able to identify whether the Under 15
participants at the clubs in South Yorkshire identify these as reasons for participation in
Cricket or whether any other key themes will emerge from the research. The role of the
parents when it comes to young participants taking part in sport is unquestionable as it is
sometimes the parent who encourages the child to get involved in a sport in the first place. If
the child perceives the parental involvement as positive they are more likely to enjoy their
sporting experience and deem it as one of the reasons why they participate. With this
positive involvement from the parents, it can develop important skills such as increased self-
esteem and an increase in motivation (Quinton, 2013).
2.4. Theories and literature on participant drop-out:
As well as exploring the motives for participation in youth sport, researcher has also been
conducted on the possible reasons why youngsters drop out or discontinue playing sports
(Klint and Weiss, 1987). It is important to understand some of the theory around why
participants drop out in relation to the collection of data for this study, as any common
themes that the participants at the selected cricket clubs comment upon will be evidenced
and can be linked back to academic theory.
Sport England (2014) commented that a high proportion of young participants are taking part
in sport, but participation isn’t growing significantly enough to notice a difference and the
historic norm remains the same as statistics show in figure 1. Questioning the reasons why
participants drop out of sport, with much of the youth sport dropout being aligned with
motivation theories and what the sport industry and individual sports can do or are doing to
combat this (Fraser-Thomas, 2007). Understanding the cognitive capabilities youngsters
have is critical for adults, including coaches and parents, who are in a position to provide
services which effect the development of the participant (Roberts,2001). With Roberts
(2011,p52) stating that ‘In a physical domain, there is tremendous potential harm to children
who are exposed to sport that is structured in a way that does not consider children’s varied
levels of cognitive development.’
Figure 1: (Active People Survey 7, 2013)
13. 13
Rowe (2012) identified certain elements which affects sport participation, the first of which
was made up of psychological factors which included self-identity, self-confidence and self-
efficacy, with the latter being explained as a recognisable and valuable attribute In sport and
refers to a person’s perception of how capable they are of performing the behaviour that will
lead to desirable outcomes (Feltz, Short,Sullivan, 2008).An indicator for participant drop out
is explained by Feltz,Short and Sullivan (2008,p.8) through - ‘If a participant was to see their
past performance failures as learning experiences and believe that there ability will improve
the more they practice they would have a stronger sense of efficacy than those who see
their mistakes as physical limitations.’ Hence a low self-efficacy and a higher risk of dropping
out of sport. In section 2.5 links will be made to the coaching mentalities and techniques
which purposely arrange efficacy enhancing situations to encourage prolonged participation.
The access that participants have to facilities and the cost of playing sport are deemed as
extrinsic factors and are the second identified, with Rowe (2012,p3) stating ‘these external
factors will affect the frequency of participation and be catalysts for drop out.’ With specific
reference to Cricket and Yorkshire, it has been evidenced that only 20% of 14-25 year olds
in Yorkshire compared to the 30% national average for that age group deemed cost a barrier
to playing Cricket.
Figure 2: (Yorkshire Discover Workshop, 2013, p.86)
In order to combat some of the reasons for participant drop out, a new cricketing initiative
called last man standing was produced. It is an innovative and new format of the game
which is described by the ECB as ‘a great chance to play cricket again, and it won’t take up
your Sunday afternoon’ (English Cricket Board, 2014). Juxtaposing Rumford’s point made in
2.2 of the literature around the origins of the game, with these new formats and versions of
Cricket to act as a positive tool to encourage retention and participation and to tackle the
decrease in participation in grass-roots Cricket.
The results from the study will identify any other external factors surrounding the two Cricket
clubs in South Yorkshire that have effected grass-roots cricket participation for the specific
under 15 age group. In appendix 3 there is a summary from Sport England on the key
influences that sport has on engaging young people as they develop. Both reasons why they
participate and reasons for drop out are explained, summarising the key points found in the
14. 14
literature. With a broad understanding of reasons for participation and drop out it allows the
focus to move to the coaching side of the participant’s development and the different
coaching mentalities and techniques employed in order to encourage a participant centred
approach.
2.5. Coaching Literature
With an 18,700 decrease in the ages of 16-19 partaking in Cricket being shown in section
2.2 it poses the question of whether the coaching delivered at an under 15 level is adequate
enough to encourage continued participation. With the coaching profession demanding a
high level of responsibility for the coach (Mullen and Brunner, 2013) with a general purpose
to develop others performances and skills (Downey 1999) whilst keeping them within that
sporting environment throughout their development. Jones and Armour (2004) believe that
developing and maintaining a positive environment in training sessions is vital for success
and that understanding the cognitive capabilities youngsters acquire across childhood is
critical for adults who are in a position to interact and provide that positive environment for
participants (Roberts, 2011). With Leblanc and Dickson, (1996, p.5) quoting that, “because
children are not good at judging their own ability, they depend on others to tell them how well
they are doing in developing skills and how they compare with their peers.’ With Sport
England (2014) identifying friendship groups and peers as a factor which effects
participation, placing enormous responsibility on parents and in particularly coaches.
Sports Coach UK (2003) recognise that there are different ways to coach effectively with the
enthusiasm that you bring to the session as appose to a general loudness that engages the
participants. Lyle (2002) identified 3 coaching categories:
1) Participation coaching
2) Development coaching
3) Performance coaching
In relation to this research study, the development coaching’s definition of being ‘exclusively
for younger people in age-group sport who are accelerating their way through the
performance standards’ (Lyle, 2002, p.53) fits the criteria of the under 15 participants at the
respective Cricket clubs in South Yorkshire and the research undertook will aim to gather an
insight on the coaching used to this age group.
Being able to communicate with the participants effectively is a key component to achieving
positive coaching practices (Robinson, 2013), with Lyons (1988, p6) stating that
‘breakdowns in communication can lead to unproductive coaching sessions’. How a coach
communicates can effect motivation, confidence, concentration and anxiety levels of the
performer (Weinburg and Gould, 2007) with Sports Coach UK (2013,p.21) identifying that
‘good coaches try to empower their participants and encourage them to analyse their own
performance.’ Coaches can guide participants in finding their own solutions to improving
their performance. However, Delting (2008) states there are 3 primary motivation killers,
those being perfectionism, expectations and comparisons and for the coach - providing
structured practice which creates a ‘positive motivational climate’ will ensure the
development of respect and a more open communication channel between the coach and
participant (Robinson, 2013. P.140).
15. 15
Martens (2012) identified 3 types of coaching styles: command style, submissive style and
cooperative style. The command style of coaching has been explained by Martens (2012,
p.30) as an ‘approach used by an inexperienced coach.’ With Potrac and Gilbert et al (2013)
finding that young people preferred a more democratic approach which placed more
responsibility and decision making on the participant. Below is a table which explains the
characteristics of a traditional approach, used by command-style coaches, in comparison to
a games approach which is used by cooperative style coaches.
Figure 3: (Martens, 2012, p.157)
Traditional Approach GamesApproach
Uses drillstoprimarilypractice technical skills Uses drillsthatare closelyalignedwiththe game
to teachtechnical andtactical skills
Teachesthe specificelementsof the game and
thencombinesthemintothe whole
Teachesthe whole game andthenrefinesthe
parts.
Coach centred(the coachusesdirect
instructional methodsthatmayor may not
considerthe players’needs).
Playercentred(the coachcreatesa learning
environmentthatfocusesonthe players’needs
usinga varietyof teachingmethods).
Practicesare oftenboringandthusunmotivating
to the players.
Practicesare fun,relevant,andchallengingand
thusincrease intrinsicmotivation.
Playersbecome highlydependentonthe coach. Playersdevelopincreasingindependence from
the coach by beingactivelyinvolvedinthe
learningprocess.
Throughextensivedrillingcoachesstrive to
developautomaticresponsesthatmaypromote
mindlessnesswhenplaying.
Practicesare designedtodevelopthe thinking,
understanding,anddecisionmakingskillsthat
are requiredtoplaywell.
Playersprovide little ornoinputtothe coach,
whomakesmostor all of the decisions.
Playershave considerable inputtothe coach and
helpthe coach make decisions.
Playersare not encouragedtohelpeachother
masterthe skillsof the sport.
Playersare encouragedtohelpeachother
masterthe skillsof the sport.
Preferredapproachtocommandstyle- coaches. Preferredapproachof cooperative-stylecoach.
In relation to Cricket coaching, from the comparisons made in table 3 and for all the above
literature to be implemented in to coaching, it makes the role of the cricket coach extremely
demanding (Lewis, 1994). With the English Cricket Board having established a set of core
principles for the 4 Cricket disciplines – Batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping which
their coach education programme emphasise the importance of. These can be seen in
appendix 4 and it is important to gather an understanding from the interviews with the three
club coaches as to what their understanding and knowledge of these core principles are. To
summarise this section, the role of the coach is important in order to prevent participation
drop-out and a coach is an individual who can encourage sporting retention. A coach is also
an important part of identifying talent and recognising when a younger participant is
physically and skilfully ready to participate in older age group sport regardless of
chronological age. With the England and Wales Cricket Board (2014) concluding that
‘providing a selection of playing opportunities, along with innovative coaching for young
players will help to reduce the drop off of teenagers. Showing the growing importance of a
16. 16
coach in modern day community sport and with an international comparison of the Australian
Sports Commission (2014) identifying that clubs should assist in providing information,
support and resources for their coaches and officials as well as stating the retention of
existing volunteers should be a priority for sports clubs.
2.6. Talent Development and the Transition from Junior to Senior Cricket
Participant development has been identified by Sports coach UK as a central feature to any
comprehensive coaching model (Bailey and Collins et al, 2010). With Sharf (1997)
identifying transition as an event that causes change, and in relation to this research study,
the transition and change from junior to senior sport along with identifying when participants
are ready to make that transition is an important stage of participant development.
Although models of development describe progression through the different stages they offer
limited insight and thoughts on the individuals themselves and don’t consider that each
individual progresses at different rates and have different characteristics. Therefore as
quoted by Bailey and Collins et al, 2010, p.6) ‘identification of potential must address the
ability to get there as well as the ability to be there.’ To give an example, a young participant
in Cricket might want to play senior cricket, but might not have the skills acquisition and
capabilities to cope with the higher demands of senior sport.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (2014) developed a Cricket pathway which is shown
in the figure below:
Figure 4: (England and Wales Cricket Board, 2014, p.4)
This is a player pathway specific to Cricket and is a way of identifying talent in England. In
terms of nurturing talent at an under 15 level, it is where the players should develop and their
specialist skills and their role within a team should be identified, with an added emphasis on
deliberate practice (England and Wales Cricket Board, 2014).
17. 17
Making the step up from junior to open age group Cricket is a significant event in any players
cricket experience (England and Wales Cricket Board,2013). In appendix 5 the Cricket
specific safeguarding guidance and guidelines are shown in full, with some of the key
themes from the document shown as:
- The participant will feel more comfortable with a family member present
- Player must be given the opportunity to show their talent and not just be used to
make up the numbers.
- The decision to include them in senior cricket is ultimately dependent on the players
ability along with their cognitive and emotional security.
(England and Wales Cricket Board, 2013).
Although there isn’t a lot of academic literature surrounding the transition from junior to
senior cricket the engagement with coaches at the two South Yorkshire Cricket clubs will
enable research and understanding to be developed of some of the participants’ and
coaches ideological opinions on senior cricket.
2.7. Club Development and Sustainability ECB improvement tool?
The England and Wales Cricket Board (2014) explained the club as ‘an environment that
makes young people and their families feel welcomed by captains, friends and members;
allowing them to become part of the wider club community’. Robinson (2010) states that
sport clubs have become businesses that are accountable to their players, members and
national governing bodies. But there is little literature about the structure and management of
how they operate (Collins, 2010).
Sustainability can be defined as ‘the capacity to endure’ (ECB National Club Strategy, 2012,
p.19) and the ECB promote an equal balance of projects and resources at clubs which
should be put into the 3 sections shown below in figure 6. They challenge the clubs to
compare and identify gaps when planning for the future in order to create a balanced and
sustainable development programme.
Figure 6 – The model of Sustainable Development, (ECB National Club Strategy, 2012,
p.19)
18. 18
Cricket clubs that achieve sustainability are said to recruit and retain players more effectively
(ECB National Club Strategy, 2012) and following the previous literature around the
importance of retention and participation in sport and cricket, understanding the club as a
whole and ensuring that the club operates in an effective way which meets the needs of all
participants, including players, coaches and board members is important for the
development of community cricket. In relevance to this study, the understanding of the way
the two clubs are run, with regards to management structure and ideological beliefs will help
when undertaking the research and enable the researcher to make a valid judgement on the
club as a whole when recommendations of improvement for the club occur following the
research.
But it is not just the ECB that support club development, regional national governing bodies
such as the Yorkshire Cricket Board oversee development in their catchment area. For
example in South Yorkshire where they work with many local partners to support and
improve local cricket clubs around the area to improve grass-roots cricket. South Yorkshire
Sport are one of 42 county sport partnerships who manage the delivery of national and local
programmes working in partnership with Yorkshire Cricket Board (South Yorkshire Sport,
2015). Recently Sport England have provided a support system to local sport clubs called
club matters, providing 'free guidance, support and learning on all aspects of running a club'
(Sport England , 2015). It is a free resource which helps clubs run and develop a sustainable
club for the future (Club Matters, 2015). The researcher will conduct interviews with both
South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board to gather an understanding of their
working relationship and what support they offer to cricket clubs and will be discussed further
in methods section.
2.8. Summary
Knowledge of prior literature can potentially bias and inhibit the researcher's ability to
understand the world in the terms of their participants (Charmaz, 2003). However, with the
qualitative theory surrounding the research topic being discussed throughout the literature, it
has added clarity and purpose to the study and the underpinning knowledge gained from the
7 core sections has added purposeful thinking and clarity to the research title, aims and
objectives ,with the collective research to be used to inform the methods chapter. If the
findings of this project are of use to the clubs in South Yorkshire, any relevant information or
findings can be passed on to Yorkshire Cricket Board and South Yorkshire Sport in order to
improve crickets recreational game. Relevant quantitative and qualitative data collected
regarding the stated aims and objectives of the research will help identify issues and provide
solutions to the above literature and overall what local clubs can do to take on board the
findings from the research.
19. 19
Chapter 3- Methodology:
3.1. Introduction
This section will indicate the methods that were used to conduct the research investigation,
along with justification of why the chosen methods were used for this study. It will also
highlight the positives and negatives of each method used, ethical considerations and the
overall reliability and validity of the research after the data had been collected.
Ontological and epistemological viewpoints vary among a lot of researchers. Ontology refers
to the philosophy of existence and the nature of phenomena, whereas epistemology is the
study of knowledge and the branch of knowledge that questions how knowledge of a
phenomena is acquired and represented and underpins the researchers approach to
research (Jones, 2015; O'Donoghue, 2010). The researchers ontological and
epistemological stance for this research is constructivist and interpretivist as the data
collected is interpreted by the researcher, with Jones (2015, p.22) stating data is 'measured
using words, statements and other non-numerical measures, collecting data from the
viewpoint of the participant.'
For this investigation the method the researcher found most relevant to achieving the aims
and objectives (Page 3) of the study was a fixed mixed methods approach. A fixed mixed
methods approach consists of both qualitative and quantitative data which was
predetermined and planned at the start of the research process (Densombe, 2007; Creswell
and Clark, 2011), with O’Donoghue (2010) stating it as a complementary way to conduct
research. Reference will be made to the aims and objectives throughout the methodology
chapter, using them as a point of reference in justifying the researchers approach.
3.2. Rationale for the Two Selected Cricket Clubs
The two cricket clubs who agreed to partake in the study were -
Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club
Mexborough Cricket Club.
Five other clubs were contacted via email but the researcher didn't get any positive
responses. Through the researcher's network of contacts from the previous academic year,
Sheffield Collegiate and Mexborough agreed to take part in the study and the researcher
met with the coaches from the respective cricket clubs and had them sign an agreement
letter which is documented in appendix 6. Sheffield United responded later than the other
two but the researcher felt there wasn't enough time to complete the triangulation of
methods effectively. However questionnaires at Sheffield United were complete which added
to the validity of the study.
The difference between the two clubs was noticeable as Sheffield Collegiate are in the
Yorkshire premier league, a very high standard of grass-roots cricket, whereas Mexborough
are in division 4 of the South Yorkshire league, a substantial gap. With both teams located in
South Yorkshire, the research was interested to see whether the difference in standard had
20. 20
any influence on the two clubs regarding the aims and objectives set for the research. Club
profiles for the two clubs can be seen in appendix 7 which gives value adding information.
3.3. Participant Recruitment Procedures
Initial communication with the clubs happened by email. This email, shown in appendix 8,
informed the clubs on the research investigation and invited the clubs to agree to partake.
The agreement letter seen in appendix 7 was attached where more information on the study
was provided to the clubs.
After this initial email communication, those who partook in the study communicated via
mobile phone and the researcher was in regular contact to ensure a smooth a data collection
process throughout.
3.4. Primary Research – Questionnaires
The questionnaires were handed to all of the under 15 males at the training sessions of the
three cricket clubs in South Yorkshire.
The sample was co-ordinated by the researcher and allowed a broader sample and
understanding of under 15 participants before 4 participants were then interviewed in a focus
group environment. The sampling method used for the questionnaires was cluster sampling
as its definition of groups that are randomly selected (Gratton and Jones, 2004) related to
this research study, cricket clubs within South Yorkshire were randomly selected and
individuals who fitted the criteria of under 15 male cricketers within the clubs were identified
to fill in the questionnaire. The requirements for a participant are seen below:
Gender:Male Age: 12 to 15 years Sport Participation: Currently participating at an
Under 15 club level.
The results and quantitative data gained from the questionnaires would then be used and
interpreted into the 2 focus groups that the researcher carried out at the two cricket clubs,
allowing the researcher to have a broad understanding of some characteristics prior to
qualitative data collection.
There are many advantages to using questionnaires including that it allows anonymity,
therefore improving the validity of the responses gained (Gratton and Jones, 2004). Also it
can help gain more honest and reliable data as participants are not faced with an interview
where the participants may feel uncomfortable. A disadvantage to questionnaires in relation
to the research project is that the participants are only 12 to 15 years old so the questions on
the questionnaire have to be straight forward and simple, meaning the detail within the
questionnaires in relation to the researcher achieving his aims and objectives is minimal
(Moore, 2001). With Veal (2006) informing that the validity of the information gained from the
questionnaire is reliant on the honesty of the respondents, emphasising the importance of
Gratton and Jones' view mentioned previously of anonymity to the research project.
21. 21
3.4.1. Questionnaire Design and Piloting:
The questionnaires were designed on Microsoft Word 2010 and before handing out the
questionnaires in the collection of data, the researcher piloted them on people whose
opinion he trusted and also showed it to the development manager of Yorkshire Cricket
Board who commented upon it. Following this the researcher felt that no changes had to be
made in order for the questionnaire to contribute to the completion of the aims and
objectives of the study. The used questionnaire can be seen in appendix 9.
Open and closed questions were used to allow both qualitative and quantitative data to be
gathered. However there was more closed questioning than open with 10:7 ratio of closed to
open. The open nature of the questionnaire allowed the participants to comment upon
anything they felt was necessary and for the researcher; it allowed the data gathered from
the questionnaires to be used as a talking point within the two focus groups to gather more
in-depth qualitative data. This was an efficient way of structuring the questionnaires and data
collection as close ended questions allowed participants to choose an answer whereas open
ended questions and comment boxes allowed participants to add their own personal opinion
(Rubin and Babbie, 2010; Gratton and Jones, 2004).
3.5. Primary Research – Interviews
Four separate interviews were carried out with four separate individuals. Two interviews
were carried out at organisations that work at a regional and local level who can directly
affect and influence cricket participation within South Yorkshire. These roles were:
1) Yorkshire Cricket Board - Cricket Development Manager
2) South Yorkshire Sport - Development Manager
Interviews with these individuals were carried out prior to any data collection from the under
15 participants or the other remaining interviews. The reason for this was that it allowed the
researcher to gather knowledge on what organisations are doing regionally and locally to aid
club development, increase participation rates in cricket and also allowed the researcher to
acknowledge how these organisations are working together to improve grass-roots Cricket in
the catchment area. The South Yorkshire Sport interview took place first, which allowed the
researcher to add value adding questions to the Yorkshire Cricket Board interview from the
qualitative data received. This qualitative data and gained knowledge was then used by the
researcher to take into the two cricket clubs and enabled added focus to the study. Also it
was important to gather qualitative data from these individuals as they work for the
organisations post data collection that results and recommendations could potentially be
made to and be beneficial too.
The researcher's relationship with the Cricket Development Manager was considered due to
the fact the researcher had previously undertook an academic placement at Yorkshire
Cricket Board in their previous year of study, but the relationship and interaction remained
brief regarding the research project up the completion of the data collection.
The final two interviews were undertaken with the junior coaches from the clubs selected for
the study. Details are shown below:
22. 22
3) Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club - Junior Head Coach
4) Mexborough Cricket Club - Junior Head Coach
These interviews added depth to the qualitative data from a different angle than that of the
under 15 participants who took part in the questionnaires and focus groups. As well as
allowing a different angle, results from the questionnaires were used to influence and
structure some of the questions the researcher asked as well as aiming to comply and
correspond with the projects initial aims and objectives. However, interviewees from the two
clubs were given the opportunity to express their personal opinions in the interview.
A disadvantage to an interview approach to collecting data is that interviewees may be
unwilling or uncomfortable sharing all that the researcher wants to explore and the analysis
of interview scripts is a lengthy process (Marshall and Rossman, 1999).
3.5.1. Interview Design and Piloting:
The four interviews were carried out as semi-structured, with each of the 4 interviews having
a time scale of around 10-20 minutes. Before the interviews began each individual was
provided information about the aim of the study and how their answers would be utilised and
communicated in the research results, with Kvale (1996, p.95) stating "developing a
conceptual and theoretical understanding of the phenomena to be investigated will establish
a base to which new knowledge will be added." Also before the researcher conducted any
interviews, the individuals getting interviewed received a copy of their interview questions via
email so they could prepare their answers. However no negotiation of the question structure
or content was discussed with the researcher and the relationship remained professional
throughout the process.
Interviews were piloted with two different individuals that the researcher trusted to ensure the
questions asked were relevant to the research aims and objectives. Also as the researcher
had never conducted an interview before, it allowed an opportunity to practice the interview
and develop an understanding of basic interview techniques prior to undertaking the
research interviews to ensure the correct questions were being asked to gain the best data
possible. Following the interview pilots, the researcher felt the order of the questioning was
suitable and the feedback given from the two individuals was positive enough for changes
not to be made.
The order of the questions was important for the interviewer as this could have influenced
and affected the quality of the responses received (Rubin and Babbie, 2010). Because of
this the questions were structured to enable the interview to flow, with a semi-structured
framework and thinking being applied to the interviews meaning during the course of the
interviews the researcher was able to probe and get the interviewee to elaborate on
something of interest to the researcher by adding additional questions, thus giving the
researcher an opportunity to interchange the order of the questions throughout the
interviews (Gratton and Jones 2004; Gratton and Jones 2010).
Lastly, all of the four interviews were recorded and then typed up into a transcript which
could then be analysed which is a lengthy but necessary process (Veal, 2006). The
completed interview transcripts then got sent to each of the interviewees via email where
23. 23
they were invited to add any further beneficial information they might have forgot during the
interview and added validity of the transcripts (Long, 2007).
3.6. Primary Research – Focus Groups
The participants in the focus groups were selected on a voluntary basis from the two Cricket
clubs with the criteria to participate in the focus group being that they had to be an under 15
participant who plays cricket within that club. The researcher felt that ethnographic focus
groups presented a comfortable environment for data collection, with ethnographic focus
groups being unique and more like a guided conversation within a comfortable and natural
setting between like-minded friends rather than a group of strangers (Riemer, 2012).
The questionnaires were handed out prior to the focus group and the open questions within
the questionnaire allowed initial and brief qualitative thoughts to be put across by
respondents if they wanted, for the focus groups to then allow a natural continuation and
elaboration on why the participants felt these thoughts and for the researcher to highlight
and ask any key findings from the questionnaires (Krueger, 1994).
Two focus groups took place with 4 participants at each club, with this amount of number
stated by Krueguer, (1994, p.3) to 'offer more opportunity for individuals to talk' and be 'more
practical to set up and manage'. To encourage interaction between group members, the
focus group questioning followed a semi-structured format with original questions being
prepared to keep a focus on the discussion and topic but also allowed the participants to
speak freely and interactively around the scripted questioning (Greenbaum, 2000). Also the
seating was arranged in a circular formation as suggested by Greenbaum (2000).
Piloting of the focus groups was not carried out due to the time constraints the researcher
faced. If time was available this would have been part of the research process as it would of
allowed the researcher to identify any finer characteristics and improvements such as the
questioning order and content to apply to the three focus groups. However despite this, the
researcher felt that the two groups worked effectively with all the participants from both
groups interacting and taking part in the focus group process.
3.7. Ethical Considerations:
Long and Johnson (2007, p9) quote that 'in situations where participants in a study are
simple research subjects, there are a number of ethical issues in need of consideration.'
Hence why the researcher had to achieve ethical approval and apply ethical considerations
throughout the duration of the research to ensure the welfare of the participants. ,
During all stages of the research, it was made clear that any participant had the right to not
answer any questions they didn't feel comfortable with and was ensured through the
participant information sheet given to the participants (appendix 10) which fully explained the
reasons behind the research and the researches purpose.
Because the research involved participants under the age of 18, certain measures had to be
taken. An up to date and full CRB form to the coaches of the two cricket clubs was shown
prior to the completion of the focus groups. Also to adhere to child protection, an adult from
24. 24
the cricket club was present at the focus group meetings to combat the chance of any
allegation.
Throughout the research, the identity of all participants remained confidential, and prior to
the research being conducted each participant filled out an informed consent form (appendix
11) and at the start of each interview the researcher made it clear that it was anonymous
and made sure that they understood their rights whilst taking part in the research and were
aware that they could withdraw at any time (Wiles,2013). Due to some of the participants
being under 18 in the research, a signature of approval from the parents or guardians of the
participants taking part in the focus group was needed to authorise their participation. All
signed and dated informed consent forms from the focus groups and interviews can be
evidenced in Appendix 11.
3.8. Reliability and Validity of Data
3.8.1. Reliability
If a research tool is consistent and stable, therefore predictable and accurate it is said to be
reliable (Kumar, 2011). With the confidence that the results gained from the data collection
would be closely comparable and repeated measurements will give the same result.
(Veal,2006; Kumar, 2011). The reliability of the data received could have increased with a
larger sample size, but due to the short time scale of the data collection was hindered.
The table on the following page shows some problems that the researcher had to consider
and the control measures that were used by the researcher to ensure the reliability and
validity of the data was maintained.
25. 25
Table 1a - Reliability Issues and Control Measure
3.8.2. Validity
Kumar (2011,p.402) identified validity as 'the ability of an instrument to measure what it is
designed to measure' and that the conclusions of the research are completely truthful
(Connaway and Powell, 2010). To ensure validity throughout the research process the
questions across the 3 data collection methods were judiciously put together in order to
ensure full relevance to the aims and objectives of the research. Again a table is shown on
the next page illustrating problems the researcher had to consider to ensure validity was
sustained.
1. Reliability - Questionnaires:
Discussion between respondents.
Under 15 participants putting what
they felt the researcher wanted them
to put.
2. Reliability - Interviews and Focus
Groups:
Ensuring questions were relevant.
That the data collected from the
interviews and focus groups was
honest.
Control Measures:
The questionnaires when applicable
were undertaken in silence in order to
avoid any participants copying each
other and giving their personal
opinion.
The researcher was not present upon
the completion of the questionnaires
to ensure there was no bias. Also the
design of the questionnaires ensured
that the under 15's wouldn’t be led to
any in particular answer.
Control Measures:
The interview and focus group
questions were pre planned and
piloted prior to conduction. Also the
interview with South Yorkshire Sport
and Yorkshire Sport followed a
similar basis of questioning and each
participant was allowed to speak for
as long as they wanted.
All participants within the research
agreed to take part; therefore the
researcher was confident that the
information given is there honest
opinion.
26. 26
Table 1b - Validity Issues and Control Measures
1. Validity - Questionnaires:
Interpretation of questions.
If the Under 15 participants didn't
understand the questions or interpreted
them incorrectly then the data collected
becomes invalid in relation to the
researches aim.
2. Validity - Interviews and Focus Groups
Time available for the interviews
Because the interviews were only 10-20
minutes, in depth data surrounding the
research aim and objectives could be
difficult to gather.
Researchers interview skills.
If the researcher had little interview skills
or experience then the questioning and
data received may not be as in-depth and
rich as the researcher initially wanted.
Number of focus groups.
Only three focus groups were able to be
completed due the time frame of the data
collection process and the availability of
the under 15 participants.
Control Measures:
The piloting process of the
questionnaires allowed the wording of
questions to become age specific and
relevant to the research aims and
objectives.
The participants selected for the
interviews were all specialists at their
jobs and in their organisations. South
Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket
Board interviewees had both been in
their job more than two years and the
questions asked were clear and
relevant ensuring that a large amount
of information could be gained.
To ensure that the interviews were at
the highest level possible, relevant
literature surrounding interview
techniques were used for the
researcher to gain an understanding
of what was required, for example in
Kvale (2006). Also pilot interviews
were conducted by the researcher
prior to data collection with
individuals whom the researcher
trusted to give their honest opinion on
the quality of the interviews.
The questioning within the focus
groups was relevant and thorough,
ensuring all key areas of the research
were covered in relation to the
researcher's aims and objectives of
the project. It was also ensured that
each participant within the focus
group had the opportunity and
sufficient time to speak and put their
views across and different opinions to
be heard.
27. 27
Researcher led the discussion.
The researcher could lead the participants
within the focus groups towards a
particular point of view that benefits the
study.
The semi-structured nature of the
interviews and focus groups allowed
initial questions to be designed which
gathered the interviewees and
participants within the focus groups
opinions rather than the researchers.
3.9. Data Collection - Questionnaires, Interviews and Focus Groups
3.9.1. Who Undertook the Data Collection and Factors Which Might Affect the Results
The data collection was conducted individually by the researcher which could affect the
overall outcome of the results, with the researcher being able to alter answers to highlight
issues relevant to the research aims and objectives. To ensure this wasn't the case,
completed questionnaires, recordings and word for word transcripts of the interviews and
focus groups were provided to ensure the data is reliable.
3.9.2. Order and Timing of Tests – Questionnaires/Interviews/Focus Groups
In terms of the researcher collecting data, the questionnaires were handed out to
participants prior to the completion of the interviews with coaches and the three focus
groups. This was because there were a bigger number of questionnaires (36) which needed
to be completed, but also it allowed the research to look at the data gained from the
questionnaires and interpret this into the interviews and focus groups to try and gather a
more qualitative reasoning behind some of the quantitative findings.
Also, interviews with South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board were conducted
before the researcher went into the club environment. The reasoning for this was the
researcher felt with an understanding of what the organisations are doing at a regional and
local level prior to going into the clubs would allow a broader understanding of the overall
position of club cricket within South Yorkshire.
3.9.3. Analysis of the Data (How it was analysed)
Once the data was collected for the questionnaires, interviews and focus groups the
researcher analysed the data.
Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft Excel 2010 were used to analyse and store the data
from the questionnaires and graphs. From this tables and charts were created. This gave a
28. 28
visual understanding of the results and is an effective way of analysing quantitative data
(McNabb, 2008).
For the qualitative side of the data collection, the interviews and focus groups were typed up
on Microsoft Word 2010. The data from the interviews and focus groups were analysed
using a thematic analysis which is where themes are identified by the researcher relating to
the aims and objectives of the study, but also allowed any unexpected, reoccurring issues
from the data collection to be identified and discussed (Ezzy, 2007).
3.9.4. Research Design - Strengths and Limitations
Following the data collection process, the researcher reflected on the study and limitations
and improvements were put forward. Firstly, as the researcher was an undergraduate
student at University the researcher considered themselves as a novice in the field of
research so mistakes throughout the data collection process were expected.
Another possible weakness of the study was that the researcher had a working relationship
with different members of the study meaning the researcher provided them the aim of the
study prior to the data collection process and may have influenced participants' responses in
order for them to have a specific impact regarding the outcome of the study. However,
minimal information surrounding the objectives of the research and limited discussion of the
research prior to the data collection with these individuals enabled the researcher to stay
ethically firm.
The sample size of the questionnaires was only given to the three clubs who agreed to
participate in the process. A problem with this is that the views of these participants was not
representative and only related to the three clubs. If the research was to be carried out in the
future, the researcher would allow more time for data collection which would then allow more
clubs to be contacted at an earlier date and then be used to gather quantitative data through
questionnaires. However the two clubs used as mentioned previously were from different
leagues within South Yorkshire so the results from the data collection gave a more
generalisable overview of the researcher's aims and objectives.
More communication with Yorkshire Cricket Board and South Yorkshire Sport would have
added extra specificity to the research project but the researcher felt that the data collection
process for these interviews went smoothly considering it was their first time conducting an
interview. Interviews with the two coaches also went well and positive and critical
discussions surrounding the topic area was carried out. Although the views only came from
one coach within the two clubs which could be argued not to represent all the views around
South Yorkshire, they were all head junior coaches and over looked the whole junior
development at Sheffield Collegiate and Mexborough so their knowledge and understanding
of the grass-roots game was worthy.
The two focus groups ran smoothly and the researcher ensured that he had a research
partner accompany him throughout the data collection process to ensure ethical stability. All
relevant documentation was filled in and there was no major issue in relation to this process
throughout the triangulation of methods. However piloting of the focus groups was not
carried out, meaning no prior experience of interviewing and interacting with under 15
29. 29
participants was completed and if the research was carried out in the future piloting with the
relevant age would have allowed added experience and specificity when it comes to
conducting the focus groups.
To summarise, if the research was to be carried out in the future, it would be ideal for the
researcher to allow more time available to conduct and analyse the data collected. Also
acquiring more clubs within South Yorkshire would allow for a more effective investigation,
but considering it was an undergraduate project the researcher felt that the depth of the data
and cooperation from the two clubs and other partners was adequate in what the researcher
wanted to achieve.
30. 30
Chapter 4 - Results & Discussion:
4.1. Introduction
Following the data collection process, the results section of the research will analyse and
present the research that has been collected. Quantitative data from 36 completed
questionnaires present validly to be attained as Mcqueen and Knussen (2002) suggest a
minimum of 30 needs to be collected in order to make the data valid. As well as this,
qualitative data from the 2 coach interviews and 2 focus groups were collected, giving a well-
rounded and convincing set of results for this research project.
The results of the research aim to fulfil the objectives that were put forward at the start of the
research procedure .The results will be presented in the following sections:
1. Motives for participation
2. Main Barriers to participation
3. Coach interviews and focus group analysis
4. A local and regional perspective
5. Identified differences between the two cricket clubs
Also discussion surrounding the results in relation to the previous literature will be
acknowledged as well as the originally stated objectives of the research project.
4.2. Results and Discussion
4.2.1. Motives for Participation
Objective 1 of -
"Identify motives for continued participation of the Under 15 participants."
was evidenced in both the questionnaire and focus group, with question 10 of the
questionnaire identifying participants' motives in terms of what they look for out of cricket.
61% of the respondents from the questionnaire identified competition as what they look for
most out of cricket compared to the 19% that said enjoyment. When asking the participants
in the focus groups the main reason for continued participation, the majority that were
interviewed have been a part of the club structure since an early age and identified
enjoyment as the main theme which was only 19% of the quantitative data. With one
respondent quoting -
"Because I enjoy it" and "I really enjoy being around my friends" (Sheffield Collegiate Focus
Group, Appendix x)
31. 31
What do you look
for most out of
Cricket?
Enjoyment
Competition
Inclusiveness
Social
Figure 7:
I like it because I made friends here and I get along with everyone, even the coaches"
(Questionnaire Respondent)
When asked about competition in the focus groups, it was quoted that
"I like the competition but I also enjoy having fun" (Sheffield Collegiate Focus Group,
Appendix x)
And the general theme was competition was at an equal importance to enjoyment to the
under 15 participants.
In adherence to the previous literature, the Australian Sports Commission (2015) identified 4
reasons for continued participation:
To have fun with their friends
For excitement and enjoyment
To experience challenge,achievement and personal responsibility
To improve their skills
From the completion of the focus groups and interviews the four themes were evidenced
throughout with one participant mentioning how the coaches challenge them -
"They really push us and make us have a really good go at it"
With the Mexborough coach themselves stating they -
"Get the players to give some feedback on how they've performed and how they could
improve" (Mexborough Coach Interview, Appendix x)
Reiterating the previous literature from Sports Coach UK (2013) who stated the coach
should encourage them to analyse their own performances. If the participants are analysing
their own performance and completing the final two bullet points suggested by the Australian
Sports Commission then continued participation in Cricket for the participants at the two
clubs through the barrier to participation identified by the coach at Sheffield Collegiate of -
" the age gap between 15 and 17 to keep them interested" (Sheffield Collegiate Coach
Interview, Appendix x)
19%13%
61%
p.12
32. 32
0
5
10
15
20
25
Questionnaire Responses:
ReasonsThat Would Stop
Participation
Cost
No Venue Access
Not Made to Feel
Welcome
Other Sports Coming
First
Not Getting a Game
In keeping the under 15's participating and ensuring enjoyment is maintained then the
18,700 decrease of 16-19 year olds playing cricket (Active people survey 2 2008; Active
People Survey 2013) will be reduced and understanding the barriers to participation is
crucial for both clubs and cricketing organisations to improve on this figure.
4.2.2. Main Barriers to Participation
Following identified motives for continued participation, question 8 on the questionnaire as
well as questioning in the focus groups aimed to achieve objective 2 of the research
investigation of
"To explore the reasons which would cause participants at the under 15 age group to drop-
out."
Figure 8 presents the 36 responses from question 8 of the questionnaire with each
participant having to tick two. The 72 responses are shown in the figure below:
Figure 8:
High costs of playing sports can influence individual's participation in sport in the wrong way
(Hylton and Bramham, 2007). With 24% of the 36 completed questionnaire respondents
identifying cost as a reason which would stop participation and in comparison to the previous
literature; this is an increase of 4% as figure 2 only 20% identified it as a barrier in Yorkshire.
This is more geographically specific as all respondents to the questionnaire are from South
Yorkshire and these findings will be passed on to the Yorkshire Cricket Board cricket
development manager of South Yorkshire.
Not getting a game - mexborough focus group "Yeah I have and I just get put in the field"
Parents? Mexborough interview?
"my biggest barrier is attracting new players down" (Mexborough interview, appendix x)
33. 33
"I don’t have enough time to do it" "Other activities"
"school work or stopped enjoying it really" (Mexborough Focus Group, Appendix x)
parents as a barrier
4.2.3. Coach Interviews and Focus Group Analysis
Focus Groups:
More fielding … more individual/fun games.. Mexborough said they were trying to focus
more on fielding…
'Consistent, good, detailed coaching that has helped me progress over a number of years'
(Questionnaire Respondent)
' I always learn something or improve in some way' (Questionnaire Respondent)
31:5 Ratio of participants who filled in the questionnaire wanting to train more..
barriers to this? not enough coaches …voluntary workforce…. struggle of retaining
volunteers
"They could help more and we could play more games" (Questionnaire Respondent)
"Tell you where you go wrong and how to improve it" (Mexborough Focus Group, Appendix
x)
If Possible Would
You Train More?
Yes
No
31
5
34. 34
Coach Interviews:
"It’s very old fashioned the coaching that goes on nowadays"
"I don’t see much of that going on at other clubs"
"Some clubs and schools are a bit behind coaches wise" (Sheffield Collegiate Coach
Interview, Appendix x)
Limited spare time from sheff collegiate interview - things going on every day of the week.
"The basic infrastructure is now in place down at this club for this club to take significant
strides forward" (Mexborough coach interview, appendix x)
" so we haven't really got a coach that we can generally release to go down to a school and
do some coaching and promote this club in terms of coming down on Friday nights and
doing some training" (Mexborough Coach interview, appendix x) -
Mexborough - identified local authorites as a key issue going forward facing community sport
- funding etc… local authorities pulling out - more money taken from junior funds - smaller
clubs possibly folding due to lack of volunteers
"but the players just don’t seem to come down and we never seem to get new
numbers"
4.2.4. A Local and Regional Perspective
The final objective of the research study was to gather an insight from South Yorkshire Sport
and Yorkshire Cricket Board on their role in regards to the development of grass-roots
cricket and gain an understanding of their organisational opinion on issues relating to the
research question.
They both identified each other as a key partner and believed that the interaction of once a
month was enough. Cricket identified that they had their own affiliation package to support
clubs of 'get the game on' with South Yorkshire Sport explaining the new initiative of club
matters, stating that some cricket clubs have signed up to it but the interviews at the clubs
revealing they hadn't heard of the club matters programme.
The interviewee from South Yorkshire Sport identified they had a programme called
recruiting to coaching which helps the NGB gain new qualified coaches to deliver on
activities. Cricket don’t currently have access to this and following the comments from the
YCB interview of,
"I don’t think the coaches have enough tools and resources" (YCB Interview, Appendix x),
a recommendation will be made by the researcher on how South Yorkshire Sport and YCB
can support and help coaches in local cricket clubs.
35. 35
South Yorkshire Sport identified sustainability as a key issue in community sport and was
supported in the YCB interview with the interviewee identifying drop-off at 14+ as a key
issue, suggesting two issues of retaining players and improving players
"Cricket has to get better at looking after what we've got," (YCB Interview, Appendix x)
and stating a reason for this drop off was that , "we're not giving the right products at the
club".
As the researcher conducted these interviews before going into the cricket clubs, questions
were asked regarding what exactly the cricket clubs needed to improve and move forward.
Coaching course missing key elements…
4.2.5. Identified Differences Between the Two Cricket Clubs
Premier league in comparison to division 4 -
- coaching styles?
- identified participation as an issue, whereas Sheffield collegiate participation is not the
problem it’s the facilities and amount of space.. in a good area shef collegiate compared to
mexborough.. parents more supportive? etc
training programmes?
participation coaching (Mexborough)
Performance and development coaching (Sheffield Collegiate)
36. 36
Chapter 5 - Conclusion & Recommendations
5.1. Introduction
This chapter will conclude and summarise the main findings from chapter 4 and outline
whether the conducted research enabled the research aim and objectives to be met.
Limitations of the research study will be acknowledged by the researcher and
recommendations for additional research will be made. As well as this, this chapter will give
recommendations following the results and discussion in chapter 4 to the organisations and
cricket clubs within the study, providing strategic direction and improvements for the South
Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board to use as they like.
5.2. Conclusion
5.2.1. A summary of the findings
5.2.2. Was the aim and objectives of the investigation achieved?
5.2.3. Future Recommendations for Additional Research
In order to make the data more generalisable, the research could explore the same aim and
objectives but in different age contexts. Having only concentrated on under 15 participants,
researching a wider range of age groups, possibly under 19 and under 21's for example and
comparing and contrasting the results in relation to this study would hopefully identify more
issues and barriers for further recommendations to be made.
Relating specifically to this research project and if the research was to be replicated, more
clubs from different areas other than South Yorkshire would enable the research to be
compared in different geographical regions of Yorkshire and a recommendations can be
made to Yorkshire Cricket Board and presented in the separate geographical locations.
37. 37
5.2.4. Limitations of the Research Study
The first limitation to the research study was that the researcher felt the data collection
process was left quite late and the data analysis phase was projected to be conducted
earlier than what it did. The researcher knew that the data collection process was around the
start of the cricket season, so communication with the participants in the research was
difficult around this busy period and if the research was to be conducted again, earlier
communication and an earlier data collection process would enable more precise and in-
depth analysis.
Another limitation was that only two cricket clubs and two junior head coaches were used in
the study. This is a limitation due to the interviews not being representative of the overall
coaches in South Yorkshire and a larger number of interviews and interviewing non-head
coaches would have allowed the researcher to explore a wider range of opinions and
viewpoints relating to the objectives.
Despite limitations, these findings are highly specific to the two cricket clubs and two
organisations and are geographically specific to South Yorkshire.
5.3. Recommendations
The final two objectives of the study was to provide recommendations to all partners who
were involved. This included recommendations to South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire
Cricket Board, as well as to the three cricket clubs involved in the study in order to give them
vision and guidance for the future.
5.3.1. Recommendations for South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board
Following the two interviews the researcher has come up with the following
recommendations:
For South Yorkshire Sport to allow YCB access to the recruiting to coaching
programme to get more level 2 qualified coaches in South Yorkshire to combat a
recurrent theme of not enough coaches at junior training sessions. Following this, the
newly qualified coaches will be required go in to the identified cricket clubs and offer
a minimum of 20 hours coaching throughout the cricket season. This will equip the
38. 38
current voluntary coaches with up to date session plans and offer the under 15
participants new and innovative coaching helping to create a sustainable recreational
game.
For South Yorkshire Sport and Yorkshire Cricket Board to create and provide cricket
clubs with a recommended coaching resource, ensuring the right products and
practices are delivered into grass-roots cricket.
From an organisational capacity, for both organisations to continue working
effectively and monitor themselves against the Fundamental concepts of excellence
in order to recognise continued improvements on their interaction together.
Figure 9: (British Quality Foundation: Fundamental Concepts of Excellence, 2013)
5.3.2. Recommendations for Mexborough Cricket Club
Following the interview and focus group, recommendations specific to Mexborough Cricket
Club have been made:
For Mexborough Cricket Club to contact Yorkshire Cricket Board and encourage
them to get the Chance to Shine programme into schools around the Mexborough
area. This would set the cricket club up as a satellite club and hopefully attract new
participants into the club and increase the number of participants which Mexborough
have evidenced as an issue by both the coach and participants in the focus group -
"What we need in general is some way of encouraging more people to get involved both
within the community, from schools." - (Mexborough Coach Interview, Appendix x)
39. 39
"Advertising it more" "get it round schools more and get people into it"- (Mexborough Focus
Group, Appendix x)
The researcher, through his contacts at Yorkshire Cricket Board, will help facilitate
this process as much as possible and help Mexborough Cricket club with any
enquiries they might have.
a player development model? help understand their role in the team … target setting
etc etc… relevance to literature of players should know there role in the team by the
age of 15 (Mexborough)
5.3.3. Recommendation for Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club
ECB improvement tool? - clubs working together?
40. 40
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