Warwickshire Cricket Foundation win Innovation award at the Impact of Cricket Awards

Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (WCF) won the Best Innovation award at the ECB’s Impact of Cricket Awards held on Wednesday, 28 January.

The innovation award recognises those who think differently. Celebrating different ways of delivering outcomes that deliver meaningful organisation or community impact.  This may be an event, a programme, a project, or evidence of new ways of working that have led to enhanced outcomes.

WCF recently launched its new strategy – Cricket Without Limits – at Edgbaston Stadium, where more than 100 guests gathered to hear the organisation outline its ambitions for the future of cricket across Warwickshire and Birmingham.

At the heart of the strategy, which runs through to 2029, is WCF’s mission to provide diverse, high-quality opportunities for people to engage with the many facets of the cricket world.

By the end of the five-year period, WCF aims to support 700 people each year through its training programmes, open five new grass pitches across the county and engage more than 52,000 young people annually through its primary and secondary school programmes, ambitions which build on strong foundations. 

In the ECB’s press release, WCF was described as having a bold 2025–29 strategy that places cricket at the heart of social change. From Comic Relief funded programmes tackling violence against women and girls, to HS2-supported youth diversion projects, to pioneering research on engaging ethnically diverse women, the Foundation is delivering measurable, life-changing impact. Its work shows how cricket can be a powerful force for empowerment, health, and opportunity.

WCF Managing Director, Fidelis Navas, said: “Winning the Innovation Award at the ECB Impact of Cricket Awards is a proud moment for everyone involved in delivering this strategy. It is a powerful recognition of our commitment to thinking differently and placing communities at the heart of everything we do.

“This award reflects the dedication of our partners, staff, and supporters, and reinforces our belief that innovation can unlock new opportunities, ensuring cricket continues to create positive and lasting impact across Warwickshire and Birmingham.”