Cricket is an important game in the United Kingdom. It is spectacular, it can continue for days and some people find it very enigmatic and engaging with each piece of cricket equipment serving a unique purpose and rules being quite complicated. But can cricket become a viable career for young people who show enough talent? This may be a hard question to answer definitely but discussing some aspects of the issue may be interesting to those passionate about the game.
As in all professional sports, playing cricket demands the acquisition of high quality cricket equipment and dedication of long hours to regular training. Besides being great entertainment, a physical workout and a good hobby, cricket may sometimes become a lifelong career with attractive opportunities along the way. Many things are becoming commercialised these days, and professional cricket is no exception. Young players, if they show enough talent, are approached by bidders offering them to crossover into professional sport. The earnings of even the youngest cricketers look very attractive since every new talented player is treated like a great asset to the team and the success of cricket in general, which in turn may bring more investments from big business. This is, of course, good news.
On the other hand, it is hard to compare the popularity of cricket to such smash hit games as football or tennis. Nevertheless, it is possible to make good money at the highest levels of the game, which is understandably an opportunity only for those with the biggest talent. So when parents purchase good cricket equipment for their children to encourage them to go on to professional sport, maybe they should be thinking about the wishes of the child first and taking a realistic look at their abilities. Only those who are extremely talented will be able to reach the heights of the game. For those who are not as lucky cricket will remain a favourite hobby, which is something to admire in its own right.
There are careers in cricket other than being a cricketer. Like in most professional sports, ex-cricketers may wish to become coaches after their careers on the field are over. Coaching may be conducted at different levels. School and small club cricket coaches may be responsible for instructing young players how to use cricket equipment properly and learn the tricks of the game, professional coaches may prepare national teams for world-class competitions. Coaching as a career may also lead to part-time or full-time umpiring, another possible career development in cricket. A lot of British coaches choose to go abroad to teach and choose destinations like New Zealand and Australia. These jobs are usually stable and offer some tangible prospects of financial stability.
For people who like to dedicate their free time to helping others, there are plenty of volunteer jobs in cricket. Such jobs involve coaching cricket abroad, helping children at local schools familiarise themselves with cricket equipment and form amateur teams of young cricketers. Programmes like this are popular in India, Sri Lanka and Kenya, as well as in many other countries where disadvantaged children have an urgent need to play organised games supervised by professionals. Volunteering in cricket is a noble cause. It may be a very challenging experience that sometimes helps cricket coaches grow both as professionals and as individuals.
It is clear that there are different ways in which cricket equipment may be used, besides playing the game per se. Cricket may be enjoyed as a hobby or may offer a number of career opportunities to those who are talented and perseverant enough. Cricket is a beautiful game and is likely to remain popular among millions of fans in the years to come.