ACE - Edgbaston Foundation

The Warwickshire Cricket Foundation supports ACE through its mission to support diverse talent from grassroots to elite levels through talent pathways, elite academies, and workforce development.

We aim to engage young people of African and Caribbean heritage in order to increase the numbers playing cricket.

Through establishing talent pathways and talent identification systems by providing sessions we increase the opportunities for local black communities to engage in cricket.

Our goal is to enter new areas and reach children who have not been involved in cricket at all, and helping cricket rebuild connections with communities that have become disengaged from it. The reality is that it’s a significant, ambitious challenge, but that’s been our focus for the past five years.

Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent
Chair of the ACE Programme

Schools

Build grassroots cricket programmes in targeted black communities in Warwickshire and Birmingham

Community

Inspire students who love cricket at school to attend ACE Community Hubs

Performance

Run elite academy programmes to allow talented players fulfil their potential

ACE in Schools

In partnership with ACE, we run a programme in Warwickshire and Birmingham offering free cricket sessions to local state schools for students in school years 6 through 9.

Our goal is to build partnerships with schools and community centres to provide players with greater access to coaching sessions, promoting increased physical activity and social engagement.

If you are interested in ACE delivery at your school, please get in touch with Ronnie Barker, ACE Cricket Development Officer. For girls-only delivery, please reach out to Chelsea Alagoa, ACE Women’s and Girl’s Development Officer.

ACE in the Community

ACE Community Hubs are free, weekly sessions, designed to encourage local school children to participate in cricket within their community.

Ronnie Barker and Chelsea Alagoa work together as ACE Development Officers to provide community hubs across Warwickshire and Birmingham.

South West Hub at Edgbaston Community Sports Ground Monday 4:30-6pm
Handsworth Hub at King Edwards Handsworth Girls School Wednesday 6-7:30pm

Performance Pathways

Development Centre Academy

The ACE Development Centre Academy invites talented players to join additional cricket sessions, providing opportunities to challenge themselves and reach their full potential.

Blaze Her Trail

Blaze Her Trail aims to identify, recruit, and nurture female athletic talent from African and Caribbean backgrounds (ages 15 to 21), with the goal of developing professional cricketers who can bowl at speeds exceeding 75 mph and have the potential to represent Team GB at the 2028 Olympics.

We have chosen 12 athletes to participate in our 3-year programme, which will be led by Chelsea Alagoa.