Susan: What is your five year vision? Where do you want to take France cricket?

prebou: We are definitely aware that this sport is practically unknown in this country, especially among the younger French population. Despite the historical background, no cricketing tradition or culture exists to build up on. Therefore we are focusing on increasing the visibility and awareness of the sport. Our three key objectives are to popularize cricket in France, to increase youth development, and to increase the on-field standard. One project to develop more visbili- ty and youth is our work together with USEP to coach school teachers on how to teach cricket basics.We are also concentrating our efforts on developing the indoor cricket game. One reason is that there are not enough cricket grounds to play on in the big cities. The indoor game furthermore fits the school season and it is easier to grasp the main principles. Lastly, we are also working on licensing more coaches and qualified umpires, and developing nationally rec- ognized courses in French.

Susan: How can readers of the Expatriate Magazine get involved?

Prebou: We would love people who are passionate about cricket or want to learn more to join us, either as a volunteer or sponsor. Please reach out to us via email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., via phone +33954341893 and by mail France Cricket, 4 quai de la République, 94410 Saint-Maurice.



Susan: How did it all start with cricket in France?

Prebou: Well, according to records in the French national archives, “criquet“ was already being played in the North of France in 1478. That year, an incident during a match resulted in the death of a batsman, and was probably the first recorded case of pitch invasion. Up until the Second World War, the French cricket scene
flourished, culminating in the foundation of the Federation Francaise de Cricket in 1920. After WWII however, the sport had a hard time surviving. But in the past 30-
35 years, we have seen another upswing fuelled by the arrival of immigrants from the UK and the Indian sub-continent. An allegiance with the Federation Francaise
de Baseball & Softball was formed, and France Cricket as it can be seen today was established in the late 1990s.

Susan: Could you give us a short overview of the current status of the French Cricket associations in terms of membership and teams?

prebou: France Cricket has representative French national teams for both male, female and youth (U19) cricket. We have several competitions at different levels (regional, nation- al, super league, Coupe de France, U19 and U15 leagues) to en- sure newcomers as well as sea- soned cricketers can compete.As part of our continuing commitment to the women's game in France, the “Coupe de France Feminine” was established in 2011. In 2013 we created an Indoor Women's national championship. Traditionally, the association was grown and led by immigrants from the Common wealth countries, but the cricketing pop-ulation is becoming more homegrown, with more French or second-generation immigrants joining clubs.

Read The Whole Interview

Prebou Balane  - France Cricket President


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