Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) is a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Anti-Racism in Sports Group. This collective is committed to being anti-racist and stands with community sports organizations.
Formed last year, the group includes members from Active Humber, Bradford Council, North Yorkshire Sport, Rotherham United Community Sports Trust, Sheffield City Council, Street Games and the Yorkshire Sport Foundation.
The Yorkshire Cricket Board (YCB) oversees the recreational game and supports over 800 grassroots clubs and schools playing every week in summer, with more than 125,000 recreational players. YCB is calling for all grassroots cricket clubs in the region to sign the pledge.
According to Paul Cummins, Director of Recreational Cricket for YCB, leading, uniting, and inspiring the recreational game across Yorkshire is a key part of their role. They are encouraging all partners and stakeholders, including leagues, cricket clubs, and community organisations, to sign up to the pledge.
Last year, the Yorkshire and Humber Anti-Racism in Sport Group launched the Commitment to Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Community Sport pledge.
The pledge has been signed by more than 100 organisations, including YCCC, Northern Diamonds, YCB, and the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, with Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer for YCCC, signing on behalf of the Yorkshire Family.
The pledge was signed at Headingley last night by representatives of the Airedale & Wharfedale Senior Cricket League, the Gordon Rigg Bradford Premier League, and the Quaid e Azam Premier Cricket League.
Basharat Hussain, Executive Chair of the Quaid e Azam Premier Cricket League, signed on behalf of the 38 teams in the league; Jane Pratt, President of the Airedale & Wharfedale Senior Cricket League, signed on behalf of the 36 clubs represented; and Alan Birkinshaw, Chief Executive of the Gordon Rigg Bradford Premier League, signed on behalf of the 48 clubs and 96 teams that make up the Bradford league.
By signing the pledge, organisations commit to actively addressing attitudes and racial inequalities that hinder or discourage individuals from leading active lifestyles and reaping the benefits of sports and physical activity.
Each organisation should have its plan to become an open and responsible anti-racist organisation.
They should lead by example as anti-racist allies, use and share knowledge to create change locally, enable communities to participate without fear of discrimination, develop a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities they serve, and deliver inclusively so that everyone has the opportunity to be active.