bakers mini cricket

Today, Bakers Mini Cricket can boast one of the longest sports developmental sponsorships in the world!

Over a 25 year period Bakers Mini Cricket has grown from strength to strength, reaching more and more children and schools, with over 2 million children aged 6-12 years having passed through the programme to date. The programme is about “bats and biscuits”, that is, raising interest, introducing and developing the game of cricket to our children, whilst entrenching the Bakers brand as a socially responsible icon. However, the programme is at the same time about so much more than cricket and biscuits. It is about children’s lives, with many school and community projects touching the lives of children in under-privileged areas and keeping children out of gangs and off the streets. The programme promotes fun, healthy outdoor activity for children across all walks of life. It instils discipline, respect, commitment, teamwork and self-belief while inspiring dreams and goals. Over the years, Bakers Mini Cricket has broken all boundaries, establishing a township programme during the apartheid era and opening up the game to young children of all races and cultural groups, introducing girls to cricket and making provision for special needs individuals – truly giving all children a real sporting chance.

The programme has schooled and given rise to many of the cricket heroes such as Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Mark Boucher to mention a few. Makhaya Ntini has been known to fondly mention that he attended the Bakers Mini Cricket “just for the biscuits”.  In addition, many of the players on the national women’s team came through the programme.

The programme, which had humble beginnings in Gauteng now operates in 16 Cricket South Africa (CSA) provinces through their unions and affiliates. The programme also boasts the Bakers Coaches Academy, which is the official body for training cricket coaches in South Africa. Coaches Mickey Arthur and Vincent Barnes were educated through the world-renowned Bakers Coaches Academy.

The Bakers total investment in the mini cricket programme is R16.4 million over a 3 year period. The contract with CSA extends over a 3 year period with an investment of R11.5 million over this time. An average of R3.8 million is paid to CSA, over each Bakers financial year of business. The funds are distributed monthly amongst the 16 provinces to cover costs involving training teachers, handbooks, equipment and clothing to schools, administration costs, salaries, festivals, transport of children, annual seminars and regional seminars and the Bakers Coaches Academy. The remaining R4.9 million is spent by Bakers over the 3 year period on advertising, sampling at the festivals and promotions linked to the mini cricket programme.

To signal the Bakers Mini Cricket quarter century achievement, Bakers together with Cricket South Africa hosted a Mega Festival over 8 regions and set a Guinness World Record for the “most children playing cricket at the same time” – 6,081 Bakers Mini Cricketers played cricket around the country on the 15th May 2008. This remarkable, commemorative event generated R3.6 million in free publicity for Bakers Mini Cricket. This free publicity included exposure in print, online, radio and television media.

To leverage the Bakers Mini Cricket programme a schools roadshow programme has been developed for this financial year which will target schools, community projects, festivals and community events throughout the year, adding excitement and a fresh perspective to Bakers Mini Cricket. 

Bakers biscuits is committed to growing and investing in the Bakers Mini Cricket programme which not only provides an iconic socially responsible platform, but also a health platform to leverage the Bakers brand.

Bakers biscuits sponsorship is indeed the all important heartbeat of South African Cricket.

Visit the Bakers Mini Cricket website at www.bakersminicricket.co.za.