From Safe Play to Stronger Communities: What We Learned from Byker Family Cricket

At Cricketqube, we often say that cricket is the vehicle, not the destination.

The real destination is what sport can unlock for people: confidence, connection, belonging, joy, and safer communities.

That is exactly what we saw through our Byker Family Cricket project, supported by the OPCC Commissioners Community Fund.

Why this Project Mattered in Byker

The Byker Family Cricket project was designed as a regular, inclusive community session for children, young people and their families. It gave families a safe, structured space to be active together in an area where some parents told us they were concerned about anti-social behaviour (ASB) in local parks and public spaces.

For us, this project was never just about running a sports session. It was about creating a consistent, welcoming environment where families from different backgrounds could come together, build relationships and enjoy something positive as a community.

Building Community Cohesion Through Inclusive Sport

One of the strongest outcomes of the project was bringing together families from a wide range of backgrounds, including Black, South Asian, White British, and Eastern European communities, in one shared space.

Children played in mixed teams, parents watched and joined in, siblings supported each other, and week by week we saw new connections forming. These are small moments on the surface — but they matter. They help create trust, familiarity and a stronger sense of belonging in the local area.

We also saw how important representation and role modelling are. We ensured both male and female coaches were involved in delivery, and we also had semi-professional cricketers supporting the sessions. That helped create positive role models for young people, including boys at risk of ASB, while also showing girls that cricket is very much for them too.

In fact, one of the most encouraging patterns was that girls made up around 70% of child attendees — a reminder that if sport is delivered in the right way, it can engage people who are often underrepresented.

A Real Diversionary Activity for Children and Families

Parents were clear that the sessions were giving them something valuable: a safe, enjoyable alternative to environments where anti-social behaviour is more common.

One parent told us:

“My daughter loves this cricket session. We come almost every week and it helps us avoid the parks around the area where is always anti-social behaviour. I think there should be more classes like this.”

Another parent said:

“It is nice to see the kids do things together and have lots of fun.”

And another shared how the sessions supported both of their children:

“I have two kids coming here at cricket, an eight-year-old girl and six-year-old son… it helps them connect better, interact and deal with anything that may arise, including anti-social behaviour.”

Young people’s feedback was just as powerful in its simplicity:

• “It’s so fun! I love cricket!”
• “I love it… I like playing in teams and getting better in hitting the cricket ball.”
• “I like cricket and playing with friends.”

These comments capture exactly what diversionary activity should do: provide structure, enjoyment, friendship and a reason to keep coming back.

Growing Demand — and Moving to a Bigger Venue

One of the clearest signs of success was attendance.

Over the course of the project, we estimate that around 20 families engaged with the sessions, with regular attendance across the year and our highest-attended session reached nine families in one week.

The project originally started at Byker Sands Community Centre, but demand grew so much that the space became too small for safe and effective delivery. As a result, we moved to the larger Lighthouse Project venue.

This was both a practical challenge and a positive milestone: it showed that local families valued the sessions and wanted them to continue.

Inclusion in Practice: Supporting a Wide Range of Needs

The Byker Family Cricket sessions were delivered to a broad age range, with children and young people aged approximately 6 to 14/15 and parents/carers typically aged 15 to 45.

We also observed that a significant number of children attending had additional needs, with around 40% of participating children showing special educational needs and/or additional support needs. This reinforced the importance of flexible session design, patient coaching and inclusive delivery.

At Cricketqube, this is central to how we work. We do not expect participants to fit a rigid sports model. We adapt the session around the people in front of us.

What We Learned

This project taught us a lot about what helps community sport succeed in places where it can have the greatest social impact.

A few key lessons stood out:

• Family-based sessions improve consistency and safety — when parents and carers are involved, attendance and engagement are stronger.
• Flexible coaching is essential — especially with mixed ages, mixed abilities and children with additional needs.
• Venue planning matters — if a project grows quickly, you need a plan to scale safely.
• Representation matters — diverse coaches and positive role models help more young people feel the activity is for them.

Looking Ahead

We are grateful to the OPCC Commissioners Community Fund for supporting this project.

Byker Family Cricket showed that inclusive, community-based sport can make a real contribution to both community cohesion and ASB prevention — not through one-off events, but through regular, trusted, relationship-based delivery.

For us, that is the biggest takeaway: when families have a safe place to go, children have a positive activity to belong to, and communities have spaces that bring people together, sport can do far more than improve fitness. Now we've started the Byker Youth Cricket sessions on Tuesdays as a follow-up to our sessions.

It can help build safer, stronger neighbourhoods.