Autism Association 2022 Annual Report

Autism in Cricket We continued our focus on creating inclusive sporting environments in cricket clubs across Western Australia, breaking down barriers to participation and supporting individuals with Autism and their families to get involved in their local cricket club. The 2021/2022 cricket season saw more individuals with Autism become part of their local teams and clubs as a player or in volunteer and team support roles. In the lead up to the season, our second annual Come and Try Session brought together 150 participants who were ready to give cricket a go. The program received continued support from the program’s Ambassador, Adam Gilchrist and WA Cricket. The Autism Association was also named an official charity partner of the WA Cricket Foundation. As the program grows, interest from additional community cricket clubs to join the program increases, something we are very pleased to see. This year the Autism Association was honoured to be picked as the chosen charity in the annual fundraiser hosted by the Perth Scorchers WBBL team captain, Sophie Devine. We also celebrated the launch of Adam Gilchrist’s new book Champions of Cricket , at the Bateman Junior Cricket Club. Additionally, we received interest from the Football Futures Foundation who sought the program’s support and expertise to develop resources for soccer clubs, further expanding the inclusion of people with Autism in sport.

2021/2022 Highlights

130 Participants attended aCome and Try Session

12 Cricket clubs have expressed interest in our endorsement program

Participants have linked up with our program

Interstate and International interest received in the Autism in Cricket Program

3 Come and Try events attended by our Autism in Cricket team

Over 420 members in our closed Facebook community

35 Participants have registered to play with their local club across all age groups 1 Specialised Autism training seminar for Endorsed Clubs

6 On-field training workshops at Endorsed Clubs

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