GCCYP - a brief history

Guildford City Cricket Club was set up in the 1950s by the supporters of Guildford City FC. It had various grounds until settling in Sutherland Memorial Park. 

The Guildford City Cricket Youth Project was established in 2004 by the then club chairman Stuart Brown – a former committee member at Surrey CCC and head of colts at Guildford CC. 

Stuart was driven by a belief in the life enhancing power of cricket for young people, with its need for physical skill, self discipline as well as team camaraderie. His vision for GCCYP was born from having seen at first hand colts’ coaching at bigger elite clubs where most of the youngsters were being left aside in favour of the best players many of whom were getting coached at school as well.

He created a community project with the specific aim of spreading the love of the sport to those who may not come into contact with it at school and provide competitive cricket for young players of all abilities, backgrounds and nationalities.

Also at the heart of the project was the notion, that unlike the big clubs where team selection is restricted to the best 11 players each week, every youngster will play competitive cricket. And if they are good enough, they will also play in the club’s adult sides regardless of their age. The youth project’s work developing colts has been formally recognised and praised by Surrey County Cricket Club and the Surrey County League. 

Stuart also ensured the colts’ section was not used as a creche and that the membership fees it generates would be channelled back into coaching and development instead of subsidising adult teams – a common practice in bigger clubs.

GCCYP’s Coaching Expertise
To help build his vision, Stuart brought in the highly experienced county-level coach Chandra Mutucumarana to head up the colts’ section. The pair recruited other skilled coaches who could deal with the requirements of both young children and teenagers. He also enshrined the club’s overriding principal of keeping the colts to coach ratio to no more than ten to one. 

 

 

Coaching Legacy and Success
Once the project was settled, Stuart and Chandra started a Coach Apprenticeship Scheme where senior colts were trained to be coaches with the club sponsoring them through their ECB exams. In 2019/20 season, five of the six club coaches were former colts. 

 That ethos of quality coaching and encouragement served the club so well that the 1st XI won 11 promotions in 14 years from 2004 taking it from the bottom of the then Wey Valley League, through the Fullers League and into the Surrey Championship.

In 2018/19, GCCYP U10s came joint top of the development league. 

All of that success was achieved without GCCYP having its own facilities or the finance bigger clubs can attract.

Despite the retirements of Stuart Brown and his wife Sue Brown, another loyal servant of the club, in 2020, the commitment to Stuart’s aim to provide quality coaching for young players to reach their maximum potential as cricketers and members of society remains.

Chandra has now retired as Head Coach and 2nd XI Captain but remains with the club as coaching consultant.

The club’s committee is made up of parents or former colts committed to ensure GCCYP is a community-based organisation, there for the good of local youngsters and the game.