Hi, my name is Jawad Akhtar and I’m the Programme Development Manager at Cricket Arena. My role is to make sure every participant that comes into any session ran by us has fun and is always safe. Those are my top two priorities. I try to make every session different, always coming up with new ideas to make it interesting, engaging and most importantly — fun.

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Starting the role

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I officially started this role at the end of September, and honestly the first couple of weeks I was stressed — but in a good way. It was down to me now to make sure sessions are booked, coaches are available, and people actually turn up. When you put something new out there, you’re just waiting to see if people will come. And when they do, and they give positive feedback, it’s a huge relief and makes you want to go bigger and better next time.

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What surprised me most about Cricket Arena was the amount of people wanting to sign up. You put a poll out for Tuesday Football session on a Friday, and by Friday evening the spots are full and you just think wow. No matter what the session is, whether it be badminton, cricket, football participants will always be full.

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“When sessions go ahead and people leave smiling, it’s well worth it.”

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Before Cricket Arena (and why I do it)

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Before Cricket Arena came along, I was working in SEN schools. I still do, and I love it. But I’ve always been involved in Cricket Arena one way or another — first participating, then staying behind after my games to watch other games, then umpiring, and now I’m here.

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I love sports and I love how it makes me feel, you know you could have a bad week, or a stressful week, but honestly when I play sports it just goes away. And I found it helps a lot of people as well — so knowing you’re making a positive change, that’s why I do what I do.

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How Cricket Arena came onto my radar

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My cousin and friends introduced me to Cricket Arena. They needed a player for the league, so I came along. I remember walking into the first venue at YMA and thinking, this is small — how are we going to play here? But the cricket was quality and competitive, and the amount of people who turned up to play and watch… I was in awe.

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When the opportunity came up to join the team, for me it was a no brainer. I already knew the environment and what needs to be done, and I knew I could bring ideas to keep improving what we do.

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“It doesn’t feel like work — I get to put sessions on and join in.”

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What people don’t see

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From the outside, people think you just put a session on, you turn up, participate and go home. But it’s the opposite. Before you even book a session you’ve got to check it fits what we’re doing, think if people will enjoy it, book venues, organise coaches and support, and then make sure the session runs safely.

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People see the final session on social media — they don’t see the setup, the organising, the emails, the planning, or the responsibility of making sure it’s safe while it’s happening. Even during delivery, I’m always vigilant. If anything is making the session unsafe, I’ve got to deal with it right away.

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What I’m building week-to-week

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We run a mix of sessions across the week — including football, over 50s activity, badminton, casual cricket, and our indoor league nights (MBL/BBICL). We also run development sessions and practical courses — like first aid, the ECB Core Coach, and other life-skills training — so people can build confidence and keep learning alongside sport.

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I introduced Football regularly as soon as I got the position. It was requested a lot throughout the upcoming of Cricket Arena, and because our name is Cricket Arena, a lot of people just assume we only do Cricket and I wanted us to get away from that and introduce new sports and sports they enjoy beside cricket.

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And that’s the point — helping people try new things. Sometimes young people don’t like change and stick to what they’re good at (same with everyone), but I encourage them to just try. That’s all I ask.

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Moments that stick with me

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One thing that made me really happy was the over 50s. Seeing familiar faces — people who used to play when I was younger — coming back to cricket is special. Sport doesn’t have an age. Whether you’re five or fifty, it can change your life in a positive way.

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Another moment that sticks is when someone said they wanted to come to football but felt anxious because they hadn’t played before. I reassured them that’s exactly what the sessions are for — no matter your ability, you come and have fun. Now they’re eager to get involved. That’s why I love this job.

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Friday nights

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Our indoor league nights can be intense — but in a good way. The atmosphere, when it’s going well, is the only way I can describe it: electrifying. You see the passion, spectators cheering, the hall rocking — competitive, but respectful at the same time.

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And what I love is seeing people from different parts of Sheffield come together. They play hard, and at the end they shake hands, talk, and build connections. That’s what Cricket Arena is about: making new friends, making it enjoyable and most importantly keeping them safe.

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“The hall is practically rocking — competitive but respectful.”

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Challenges (and what I’ve learned)

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I haven’t had too many difficult moments, but there have been times things didn’t go to plan — like a timing mix-up meaning we ran out of time to finish games — and we fixed it quickly. There was also a few times that the behaviour levels dropped in a few of the sessions but again with mutual understandings and respect, I was able to talk to the individuals involved and they were very understanding.

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I’m proud of how determined we are as a team. We never settle for “just anything for the sake of it”. We’re always brainstorming and looking for ways to make Cricket Arena bigger and better.

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Final message

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If you’ve never been to a session before, this is what I’d say:

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Come down — whether you can play the sport or not, whether you have friends already at Cricket Arena or not. We have set this up for everybody. No one is bigger or better than anyone. We are all equal and we welcome everyone with open arms. We will aim to make it enjoyable, fun and safe. Everyone starts from somewhere, and I hope you start at Cricket Arena.