“Brighton Cricket Academy is a significant addition to the amazing facilities at our redeveloped Falmer campus and will help us further deliver on our ambition to be a leading provider for sports education for students from across the UK and around the world.”
Square One Education Ltd is a company jointly owned by Rob Ferley, the Head of Cricket Performance at Bradfield College and former professional cricketer who played for Kent CCC and Nottinghamshire CCC along with Sir Rod Aldridge, the Patron of Aldridge Education and President of Sussex Cricket.
The company will provide a team of highly qualified and experienced coaches and will manage the academy on a day-to-day basis. As part of the arrangement, Brighton Cricket Academy will also be open to local clubs and schools for coaching purposes.
Sir Rod Aldridge of Square One Education Ltd said: “We are delighted to be a part of this partnership with the University of Brighton and believe that the university will become home to the leading university-based cricket provision in the UK. The programme will provide a dual career pathway combining elite sport training with academic studies and embedding work-based learning.
“Brighton Cricket Academy will transform the methods of coaching as well as meet the demand that there is for coaching space in the county. At a time when cricket is the second biggest sport in the world and one of the fastest growing female sports in the UK, we have the opportunity through this partnership to play a national role in developing opportunities in the sport, particularly for those from state schools.”
The University of Brighton’s Falmer campus is home to its School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences and recently underwent significant refurbishment and expansion. This has seen the creation of world-class facilities to support teaching, learning and research alongside new sport and leisure facilities for students, staff and the local community.
University of Brighton students joining Brighton Cricket Academy will have access to state-of-the-art sports science facilities at Falmer campus, while students studying sports science courses will have the opportunity to work with Brighton Cricket Academy players through their professional placement, enabling them to apply their practical academic learning through this exciting partnership.
Open days are taking place at Falmer campus on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 June. Find out more about open days and book your place.