The Focus Club concept finds its origins in the way that the government has chosen to deal with one of the major issues of our time, the health of the nation.
   It's a simple theory: money spent now in keeping the nation healthy is money well spent because it should keep the demands on the NHS of the future in check.
  To achieve that, the government has set various targets and objectives and has provided resources to National Governing Bodies of Sport – in our case, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – and Clubs.

The objectives are:

- Increase the number of 5 to 16 year old children who receive a minimum of 2 hours of high quality PE and school sport per week to 75% by 2006

- Increase from 1 in 7 to 1 in 5 children moving from school to club

- 70% of people being moderately active for 30 minutes a day, 5 times per week, by 2020

To support that, the government are funding community sport by £459million over three years although for that sort of money, you might reasonably expect there to be conditions! In the case of cricket, it's about working to support the ECB National Cricket Strategy via. the development plan, to minimum quality standards.
   The ECB National Cricket Strategy seeks “to ensure that every person, including players of all levels of experience and ability, has the opportunity to play and become involved in the game in a fully structured, organised and resourced club environment.”
   The starting point for all of that is schools and the ECB is working with the education system to have 3,200 School Sports Co-ordinators in Secondary Schools, and 18,000 Primary Link Teachers by 2006. There will be a measurable increase in the proportion of children starting cricket.
   There are many ECB programmes and resources to support teachers and as a Focus Club we should do what we can, where necessary, to promote the ECB initiatives to the schools in the area. Focus Clubs will act in partnership with local schools to deliver the ECB and KCB Cricket Development Plans.

A Focus Club is one that has been identified in the Plan and has made a commitment to achieving Clubmark. In our case, that part has already been achieved.

Focus Clubs will work in partnership with the ECB, schools and the community.

Focus Clubs are asked to think about appointing a Cricket Club Development Manager who will be charged with developing the Clubs links to the community at large and for improving the way the Club is seen in the community.

The benefits of being a Focus Club are several:

- Focus Clubs are the first in line for support, examples of which are the government PESSCL (PE, School Sport and Club Links) strategy, the Community Club Development Fund and the priority time of Cricket Development Officers in the County

- Creates more opportunities to play cricket
- Attracts more players
- Raise the profile of cricket in the Community
- Increases communication between clubs, coaches, officials and so on
- Improves partnerships with schools
- Shares information, equipment and good ideas
- Creates more and better coaches
- Get more volunteers – the people who actually do the work
- Have access to a “fast track” system for talent identification

These Focus Clubs are identified as the ones best placed to deliver the KCB's objectives for club cricket, particularly in terms of youth development. This follows an extensive planning process based around local strategic needs and availability of local resources.
   It means that they will gain priority treatment with regards to improved communication, help with access to resources, advice on volunteering opportunities, grant aid, equipment, coaching, talent identification and progression, match play, administration, child welfare and any other areas of club development that will ultimately increase participation and improve standards in club cricket.
   In return, Focus Clubs must gain Clubmark accreditation as well as work together with their to produce and implement a comprehensive development plan.

Chris Swadkin, Chairman of Kent Cricket Board, said: “In order to be able to provide a quality service to clubs we have had to prioritise our efforts. Initially, we identify the clubs which we feel we can best work with and these clubs will benefit from a much closer relationship with Kent Cricket Board and the ECB than ever before.

“The Kent Cricket Board will not stop supporting the hundreds of other recreational cricket clubs, but the Focus Clubs will be our priority. This will, in time, make a real difference to the recreational game.”