Countdown is on for Warwickshire’s search for future Birmingham cricket stars
Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) has put the final call out for aspiring young cricketers to apply for its 2025-26 Youth Pathway programme, as deadline for applications fast approaches.
Developed by WCCC, the new pathway process, which has been running since 2022, has been designed to identify and nurture prospective talent in children aged U10 – U18, with the goal of developing future stars with a clear progression route into professional cricket.
Offering more opportunities than ever to apply to become a part of the Youth Pathways programme, WCCC recently announced it opened its applications for girls to join its U10-U12 youth system following a successful pilot scheme for boys last year.
The revamped process will allow youngsters to receive expert coaching and the opportunity to train at Edgbaston’s Indoor Training Centre or King Henry VIII School in Coventry.
Children nominated in this category, can attend a soft or hard ball observation, depending on the child’s previous experience with cricket.
Applications for the U10-U12 categories, can be nominated directly via an open nomination form, whilst older applicants (boys and girls U13-U18), should be nominated via a video submission to a dedicated WhatsApp channel, monitored and reviewed by WCCC Pathway leads and scouts.
Run in partnership with Birmingham City University, WCCC was the first professional cricket club in the UK to revamp their talent identification process.
Identified through a co-funded research project which investigated bias and lack of objectivity in sport, the new processes were created in response to the findings, ensuring that grass-root applications were open to all children irrespective of backgrounds and access to club membership.
The Youth Pathway scheme at WCCC is currently open for any child and their respective parent or guardian to apply, across Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire.
Warwickshire Pathway Lead (Boys), Ben Gibbons, said: “The refreshed approach to the Youth Pathways application process over the past few years has enabled us to broaden the opportunities for aspiring cricketers across the region, and we’re excited to be continuing this growth by introducing the open nomination form system for girls in the U10-U12 category this year.
“Our WhatsApp video submission system for U13-U18s has been a success for several years now, with over 270 video submissions received last year alone, demonstrating the power in accessibility to our youth schemes.
“The Youth Pathway programme application process is always an exciting time, allowing us to look for the stars of the future.
“We’ve seen lots of youngsters progress from Under-10 age group into the senior side, including recent players Dan Mousley, Hamza Shaikh and Taz Ali, and we can’t wait to see the talent the region has to offer for 2025-26.”
Children must have been born in, reside in, or attend a Birmingham, Coventry or Warwickshire school or belong to a Warwickshire-affiliated club to apply for WCCC’s Youth Pathway programme.
