Sponsored by Aspire 1 Nutrition and supported by Kitlocker, Cricket Arena has created a full line of custom Nike kits for our youth indoor cricket programmes in Sheffield. What started as a conversation about helping the lads look the part has turned into over 60 young people pulling on their own shirt, name and number in bold Cricket Arena colours.

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Each shirt carries the Aspire 1 Nutrition logo front and centre, sitting above a vibrant mosaic graphic drawn from the Cricket Arena brand. The range runs across six colourways – from navy and yellow to maroon and sky blue, black and gold and more – but the pattern ties them all together. When the players line up at Mini Bash League or a community session, the hall bursts into colour; it feels like a proper league, not just a casual knockabout.

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Behind the kits is a long-term partnership. Aspire 1 Nutrition is led by coach and entrepreneur Mazin Al Neami, who also runs Aspire 1 Performance gym. Mazin has been by our side for years: delivering fitness and wellbeing workshops, teaching young people how to use the gym safely, and modelling a healthy lifestyle built on hard work, discipline and self-belief. Backing the kits is another way of passing those values on – showing young people they’re worth investing in.

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Kitlocker have been the creative engine behind the final product, and they have also helped make the project affordable. Their team worked with us on the design, then took the concept into a professional photoshoot, rails of shirts and all. They went the extra mile to help keep custom printing and personalisation within a community budget so that every player could receive a shirt. From the cut of the Nike tops to the printing of every name and number, they’ve helped us unlock an identity that feels modern, exciting and proudly Sheffield.

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For the young people, the impact is immediate. Pulling on a kit tells them: this is my team, this is my league, these are my people. One player, Fasih, told us: “I love wearing these kits. They’re Nike, so the quality is amazing, but more than that we feel part of a team – and as a league it looks professional when everyone’s in their colours.” Others joked that the kits even turned their results around, and that having a personalised shirt each year is something to look forward to – on and off the pitch.

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The kit launch also sits within a wider South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit funded project, using indoor cricket, role models and youth work to create safe, positive Friday nights for young people across Sheffield. Smart, unified kits might seem like a small detail, but they help turn a weekly session into a shared experience: something you want to stick with, respect and tell your mates about. For partners like Aspire 1 Nutrition and Kitlocker, it’s a powerful way to see their support come to life – and a model we’d love to replicate with other businesses who want to invest in local young people.