MHAGo Cricket is an entry level program for Pre-primary, Year 1 and Year 2 boys and girls. The program incorporates high participation with skill development and modified games to provide a safe learning environment and fun experience for all involved. MHAGo provides an ideal precursor for schools and clubs to offer as a lead into Primary School Cricket competitions and Junior Club competitions. Australian cricket players, Michael Clarke and Clea Smith both started their careers participating in the MHAGo program.

It is important that cricket is an option for all children from an early age. There are many other activities that children have available to them today (video games, TV, computers). Cricket is a great way to get children playing outside and being active. We must ensure that the child’s and parents first encounter with cricket is an enjoyable one so they will continue to come back.

Over the years the MHAGo program has shown that parents are not only keen to be involved in the week to week running of the sessions but also thoroughly enjoy the experience, with many moving onto volunteer roles with the school or club.

Program Objectives

• Introduce boys and girls to the game of cricket
• Recruit administrators, coaches and other volunteers
• Provide schools/clubs with an introductory program which they can offer prior to structured cricket competitions
• Provide schools/clubs with a base of players/volunteers that can move through into your other junior teams

General Program Benefits

• Development of links between local schools, clubs and WACA
• The recruitment and education of parent helpers
• An increase in junior players for school and club teams
• Ensures that the first cricket experience for children/parents is non-threatening and enjoyable
• Children will have better basic skills when they enter junior competitions

PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY—THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR SCHOOL OR CLUB
MHAGo is an incredibly flexible program and can be altered to accommodate most volunteers and oval availability. The Coordinator/Club/School has complete control over what day of the week and what time the program is run. MHAGo can be run:

• As part of a school PE program
• As part of an after school care program
• After school for any children interested in the Program from your school
• Over the weekend for any children interested in the Program from your school
• As part of your clubs junior cricket program—this can be run after school or on the weekend for all children that attend primary schools within your area

All the WACA asks is that

• Every child that participates fills out and returns a Participant Registration Form (regardless of whether they receive a Participant Pack or not)
• The program is run during term 4 and/or term 1 of the school year
• The program runs for a minimum of 6 weeks in each of these terms
• Each session runs for a minimum 1 hour

The more specific information you can give WACA about your program (eg. Start date, time, day, finish date etc) the better we can promote your Centre.

WHAT CAN I DO FOR MORE ADVANCED PARTICIPANTS?
You may find at your Centre that you have children ranging in age and ability and many of them simply want to ‘play cricket games’. Many Centres have found that by separating their participants into age/ability groups that it is easier to cater for everyone, as the real beginners can concentrate on basic skills while the more advanced kids get a taste of the ‘real game’. This is also a great way of keeping the more advanced participants coming back to the program. There is a section at the back of the MILO Resource Manual called MILO Have A Game (MHAGame), this has been developed as a progressive program for participants who have achieved a certain level of ability and skill by their involvement in the MHAGo program over a few years.

Flexibility
Because all children are not identical in size, strength, ability and personality then game coordinators should adopt a flexible attitude by adjusting wicket length and type of bowling to enable each player to have success and well as participating in an enjoyable game.

What will the WACA do?

Centres are encouraged to do their own recruitment for the program. Centres will be provided with posters, flyers and HAG registration pads to assist with this. In addition the WACA will also assist in the following ways:

• The WACA employs Cricket Officers who conduct school visits from August to November. The visits focus on promotion of Have-A-Go and Have-A-Game Cricket and will be a mixture of clinics, assembly talks and classroom visits
• At the conclusion of every school visit the Cricket Officers distribute a flyer to all the children containing information and contact details for their nearest HAG Centre
• Recruiting children for all Centres is the priority for all school visits
• Centre details are also distributed to all schools for inclusion in their school newsletter

WHAT CAN YOUR CENTRE DO?

• Placing posters and flyers in shops advertising your Centre is a great way to communicate to a large group of people. Target shops that Children are particularly attracted to (toy stores, sports stores, video stores).
• Establishing an agreement with a winter sport (eg: Auskick) to allow an exchange of mailing lists or going to the last session to promote your centre is a great way to increase the number of registrations.

Centre Registration
The Centre Registration form can be found on page 9 and 10 of this booklet in the email For those centres that have not returned this form already this form must be filled out in full and returned to the Have-A-Go Co-ordinator at the WACA by Monday 3rd September.

Download the registration form here

In order for our school visits to be most beneficial for recruiting participants to your Centre as much detail as possible is needed, please remember this when filling out your Centre Registration Form.

It is important that all Centre Coordinators have filled out and returned the Centre Registration Form for three main reasons:

• So the WACA is aware of which Clubs/Schools are running the program
• So the WACA maintains up to date information about the Centres Co-ordinator, venue, start date and time, and
• So the WACA can be of most assistance to you and your Centre

If your Centre has more than one person assisting in the delivery of the program but who would not be considered an official Centre Co-ordinator please include their details on the Coordinator Registration Form in the Volunteers section.
All registered Centres will receive a MHAGo Coordinators Pack containing

• 1 x MHAGo Coordinator Resource Kit
• 1 x MHAGo Coordinator shirt
• 1 x MHAGo Bucket Hat
• MHAGo Participant Registration Forms

PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION FORMS
All participants must fill out and return (via their Centre Coordinator) a Participant Registration Form, found on page 11 of this booklet. This must be done even if the participant does not wish to receive a MHAGo Participant Pack.

Download the registration form here

Every child who participates in the HAG Cricket Program must complete a registration form and pay the registration fee. If the parent/guardian refuses to sign the indemnity release then the child will be unable to participate in the program. This is on the basis of legal advice from Cricket Australia

All children who participate in the program must have their details entered in the on-line database Cricket Australia has produced. Centre Coordinators should submit this information via Excel spreadsheet to the State Coordinator. A template spreadsheet will be provided.

PARTICIPANT PACKS
There are two different participant packs available for participants to receive depending upon how many years they have been in the program. The packs include:

1st & 2nd year participants (Have-A-GO)

• Cricket Australia plastic cricket bat
• Yellow safety ball
• Green & white MILO T-shirt
• Green & White Bucket Hat
• Cricket Australia Water Bottle
• Cricket Australia MHAGo CD Rom
• MILO Sachet
• MILO Booklet
• Cricket Australia MHAGo Certificate

3rd & 4th Year participants (Have-A-Game)

• Cricket  Australia Wooden Cricket Bat
• Red safety ball
• Green & white MILO T-shirt
• Green & White Bucket Hat
• Cricket Australia Water Bottle
• Cricket Australia MHAGo CD Rom
• MILO Sachet
• MILO Booklet
• Cricket Australia MHAGo Certificate

This season there has been no change to the cost to centres. One box of 5 Have-A-Go Packs costs $125 ($25 per pack) and one box of 5 Have-A-Game Packs costs $135 ($27 per pack).

Centres can order the giveaway packs by filling out the Cricket Australia MILO Have-A-Go/Have-A-Game Order form. This form can be found on page 12 of this booklet or included as an attachment in the email that you received this booklet in. Centres need to send their order form with payment to the HAG coordinator. If no payment is present with the order form the order will not be placed with the supplier until such time as payment is received.

Download the order form here

Ordering Equipment

• Equipment can be ordered through the WACA using the order form found on page 13 of this booklet. Please remember that orders will take between 7-14 days to deliver once the WACA has placed the order. Please note that individuals are also able to purchase equipment for personal use through the WACA. They will also receive the 15% discount.

Download the Centre Equipment order form here

Following is a complete list of what each Cricket Kit contains:

The WACA will again hold a number of Have A Go in-services this season free of charge. These will be held in early October 2007 within the respective zones. You are welcome to bring along as many people as you like to these. We will use the first 10-15 minutes to discuss any changes to the program and cover a few administration issues. The last hour will be practical and spent on showing you some skills and new games that can be played with the participants at your Centre.

A photographic release form from Cricket Australia has been included on page 14 of this booklet. This form once signed allows Cricket Australia and the WACA to use photos taken during MILO Have-A-Go events for promotional purposes (stories on CA or WACA website, future promotional flyers, posters and resource manuals). It should be noted that the signing of this form is OPTIONAL however we would encourage all parents to sign the form.

Download the Photographic Release form here