The Derbyshire Cricket Foundation is proud to announce the launch of its new Play-On Programme - a bold initiative designed to ensure that hundreds of young people across the county can continue their cricket journey, regardless of financial or social barriers.
Backed by the generous support of Vaillant, the programme represents a major step forward in making cricket more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable for communities that need it most.
Richard Wood, Managing Director of the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation, said:
"The Play-On Programme is a significant step forward in our mission to make cricket a game for everyone. Too often, young people face barriers that prevent them from continuing their journey in the sport. Through this initiative, and with the fantastic support of Vaillant, we are making progress towards removing those barriers and creating clear, sustainable pathways for young people to stay engaged, develop, and thrive both on and off the field.”
Keeping Young People in the Game
Every year, thousands of children in Derbyshire are introduced to cricket through schools and national programmes. However, many face significant challenges in continuing their participation—particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and underrepresented communities.
The Play-On Programme has been developed to tackle these challenges head-on by significantly reducing barriers such as cost, access to facilities, and availability of equipment.
Through a structured package of support, the programme will:
- Provide transition pathways into club cricket
- Deliver school-to-club programmes in underserved areas
- Offer bursary-funded holiday camps
- Supply starter cricket kits for young players
- Award financial grants to support continued participation
In its first phase, the programme aims to support over 600 young people annually, with the ambition of sustaining engagement for thousands more over the next five years.
Powered by Partnership
The support of Vaillant Group UK Ltd is instrumental in bringing the Play-On Programme to life. The company’s involvement demonstrates the powerful role businesses can play in strengthening communities and creating opportunities for young people.
James Fowler, Marketing & Strategy Director. at Vaillant, added:
"We are proud to support the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation in delivering the Play-On Programme. At Vaillant, we are passionate about making a positive difference in the communities we serve, and this initiative aligns perfectly with our values. By helping remove barriers to participation, we’re supporting young people to build confidence, develop new skills, and stay connected through sport.”
This partnership is not just about funding—it’s about shared values. Together, both organisations are working to:
- Improve health and wellbeing
- Build confidence and life skills
- Create clear pathways into sport and community engagement
To understand more about the partnership and what it means to Vaillant to support this programme watch our interview with James Fowler, Marketing & Strategy Director at Vaillant.
A Call to Action for Derbyshire Businesses
The Derbyshire Cricket Foundation is now inviting other local businesses to join this growing movement and pledge their support.
By supporting the Play-On Programme, partners will:
- Make a tangible difference in the lives of young people by improving opportunities, providing greater access and developing confidence and life skills.
- Help build stronger, healthier communities
- Align their brand with a high-impact, purpose-driven initiative
- Be part of a county-wide effort to make cricket truly inclusive
Whether through sponsorship, fundraising, or strategic partnership, every contribution helps ensure that no young person is forced to drop out of cricket due to circumstance.
Join the Movement
The Play-On Programme is more than a project—it’s a commitment to giving every young person in Derbyshire the chance to belong, to grow, and to thrive through cricket.
To find out how your organisation can support the initiative, partner with the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation and help the next generation play on.
ENDS
About Vaillant
Our vision is to take care of the climate – for people in their homes and the world around us. We create super-efficient heating and hot water systems that provide comfort for customers and offer opportunities to embrace environmentally friendly solutions. We believe modern heating technology can make an important contribution to achieving decarbonisation targets and we are using all our engineering expertise to make that happen.
Part of the internationally renowned Vaillant Group, our UK business is based in Britain’s engineering heartland at Belper, in Derbyshire. Here we manufacture both Vaillant and Glow-worm boilers, and in 2022 we opened our first heat pump line. We have invested over £4million in this state-of-the-art facility, so that we can supply UK-made Vaillant heat pumps, to meet the growth in demand for sustainable heating solutions. We have invested a further £40million into a brand-new factory at Indurent Park Derby to manufacture our newly designed high recovery cylinders, which opened its doors in March 2025.
We employ over 1000 people across the UK. Over 500 employees work at our Belper HQ with office-based roles in Marketing, Product Development, Training, Customer Service, Finance, HR and Business Strategy as well as in our high-tech manufacturing facility. We also have a national sales team providing support to installers, distributors and customers and an award-winning aftersales department with over 250 engineers located throughout the UK and Ireland to support with successful installation and any aftersales requirements.
Click HERE to watch a video to find out more about the Vaillant Partnership.