Iran takes cricket to the youth

The Iran Cricket Association is giving cricket a boost in the country through a new development programme taking the game into schools. Starting with the coaching of 150 girls, the aim is to reach 3000 schoolchildren in the Tehran region.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Development Officer for Iran, Iqbal Sikander commented: "Iran cricket is something that is taking two steps back to go three steps forward. Their view is that they should create something distinctively Iranian, fuelled by Iranian cricketers from schools and colleges. By doing this there will be enough means to sustain the game from within.

He added: "To have a team that does consistently well on the international stage, it is vital to have a country that is always creating cricketers who can play the game at all ages with a hope to play for their country. Patriotic fervour is something Iran is not short of!".

The ICA has also promoted the game at the national SPORTEX convention in Tehran in an attempt to attract new people to the sport.
Secretary General Saeed Behrozi explained: "The ICA introduced cricket to the audiences by distributing posters and brochures and playing training movies and some movies from cricket competitions. ICA attracted 400 new members in three categories (U-16, U-19 and adults) from men and women."