Cricket Victoria has released an evaluation undertaken on the “Health and Social Impact of Participation in Cricket for People with Intellectual Disabilities”, following the implementation of the Melbourne All Abilities Cricket Association (MAACA) as Cricket Victoria’s 77th association in 2015.
Cricket Victoria and MACCA provide opportunities for people with an intellectual disability to play in a regular, structured and organised cricket competition, moving from sampling to sustainability.
MAACA commenced its fourth season of cricket in 2018 and has grown from five clubs in the first year to 13 clubs in the 18/19 season. The Association facilitates two divisions that provide opportunities for participation based on levels of functionality. Higher ability players participate in Division 1 that generally replicates the format of mainstream cricket, whilst players with more complex needs can participate in Division 2, a competitive format that offers greater levels of flexibility in relation to equipment, number of players and rules.
In March 2019, Cricket Victoria commissioned researchers from Monash University’s Faculty of Education to undertake an evaluation of the work of MAACA.
The evaluation responded to three key research questions:
- What are the experiences of people with disabilities and their families of participating in MAACA?
- How have clubs facilitated these experiences? and
- How do they anticipated the Association will develop in the future?
To read the full evaluation, go to www.cricketvictoria.com.au
