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Josh Hazlewood<\/p>\nWoolworths has extended its partnership with Cricket Australia for another three years, reaffirming its long-term commitment to helping Australian kids get active, stay healthy, and build a lifelong love of sport.<\/p>\n
Since first joining forces in 2018, the partnership has seen nearly half a million children take part in Woolworths Cricket Blast, a program designed for five-to-ten-year-olds to learn cricket through fun, game-based play. Backed by the Woolworths Community Fund, the initiative has already provided more than $2.5 million in support, giving over 50,000 kids the chance to play for free.<\/p>\n
Woolworths will also continue as the Official Supermarket Partner of Cricket Australia and the Australian Men\u2019s & Women\u2019s International Cricket Teams.<\/p>\n
B&T was honoured to be invited to the extension of the partnership yesterday at Woolworth\u2019s Ashfield North store. Speaking with B&T live at the event, Sarah De La Mare, Woolworths\u2019 head of community and sponsorships, said the renewed agreement is all about doubling down on the company\u2019s role in raising healthy Australian kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost half a million kids playing cricket, it\u2019s a lot of kids,\u201d De La Mare told B&T. \u201cSport as a kid is such a memorable moment in life, and as technology comes into kids\u2019 environments, it\u2019s so important we get them outside. What\u2019s really great about cricket is it allows them to spend time with other kids and be really social at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
That social connection, she said, is a big part of why Woolworths\u2019 support extends beyond just funding. \u201cWe\u2019re the fresh food people, so we have permission space in food. What we don\u2019t have is permission space in activity and being healthy from a lifestyle perspective. And we know to be healthy and well-rounded, you need both,\u201d she explained. \u201cOur partnership with cricket definitely plays into that portfolio\u2026 sport is a key part of our customers\u2019 lives. It\u2019s their passion point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolworths\u2019 investment in community sport connects directly with its broader health strategy, one that spans from what families put in their lunchboxes to how kids spend their weekends. The program\u2019s structure, short, one-hour sessions packed with games, is deliberately designed to balance the demands of modern family life.<\/p>\n
That accessibility extends into areas where cost, distance or circumstance could otherwise keep kids out of the game. \u201cWe fund cricket for disadvantaged communities, whether that\u2019s because they\u2019ve been part of a natural disaster, are financially struggling, or are just really remote and don\u2019t have access to ovals or equipment. Woolworths Cricket Blast turns up and gives those kids a go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who first picked up a ball in his backyard as soon as he physically could, the Woolworths program captures the spark that drew him to cricket in the first place.<\/p>\n
Josh Hazlewood<\/p>\n
The investment in grassroots, he says, is \u201chugely important\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s obviously where you start your cricket journey, between those ages of five to ten,\u201d Hazlewood said. \u201cIt\u2019s just amazing how much work they\u2019ve done since 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said meeting young participants reminds him what cricket is really about. \u201cThey bring the enjoyment, the energy, it\u2019s something you can forget when you\u2019re doing it day in, day out. That\u2019s why we first started playing at that age\u2026 It\u2019s quite infectious when you\u2019re around it\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hazlewood laughed when recalling his own early days: \u201cIt would have been the backyard against my brother\u2026 as soon as I could pick one up and bowl it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That joy, he said, is what keeps the professional game connected to its grassroots. \u201cYou see it in their faces, it\u2019s that same excitement we all had. And it reminds you to appreciate the game for what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inclusion From Every Angle<\/p>\n
Diversity and inclusion remain key priorities in the next phase of the partnership. \u201cWe have a lot more girls playing now than we did in 2018, I believe the participation number for Woolworths Cricket Blast is about 40 per cent female, which has been a really great achievement for us,\u201d De La Mare said.<\/p>\n
She also pointed to growing engagement from migrant and multicultural communities. \u201cThe shape of our customer base is the shape of the Australian cricket community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLots of particularly subcontinent cultures are migrating to Australia. So for us, they\u2019re our new customers as well, the new people that we want shopping with us. Cricket can become a form of connection with others, and by having a community fund that focuses on multicultural communities coming to Australia, it enables that first interaction to be one that feels authentic to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woolworths is also looking beyond traditional participation models to reflect the diversity of Aussie kids. \u201cThere are cricket teams in the blind and deaf space, a lot more now than used to be, and that\u2019s something we\u2019re trying to focus on as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve even introduced accessible wheelchair checkouts in some of our stores; it\u2019s all part of the same mindset of creating spaces where everyone feels welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the summer season approaches, with both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams preparing for blockbuster series, De La Mare said Woolworths\u2019 renewed partnership will continue to focus on accessibility, health, and community spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ashes this summer is very exciting, but I\u2019m just as excited about the women\u2019s series against India in February,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope it inspires young girls to pick up a bat and get involved. I\u2019d love to see much more than half a million kids by the end of this partnership playing Cricket Blast.\u201d<\/p>\n
With cricket season just around the corner, Woolies is firmly on board with the mission of turning healthy living into a shared national habit, keeping Aussie kids active, and the grassroots of Australia\u2019s national sport strong.<\/p>\n
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