This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Over the past weekend, South Asian superstars Wasim Akram and Sunil Joshi thrilled young cricketers and cricket fans of all ages across Greater Toronto. The former Pakistan and India national team players were brought to Canada by RBC to help put the spotlight on RBC’s ongoing contributions to grassroots cricket.From Friday June 24 to Monday June 27, Akram and Joshi tutored local children, signed autographs and shared their passion for the game with fans all across the city. Highlights of their tour of the Toronto area included:
- Participating in a coaching session for children at Valley Park Middle School in Don Mills, and a youth cricket practice session at Scarborough’s L’Amoreaux Park for City of Toronto students, the CIMA Cup team, and OCA U19 players.
- Helping officially open Thackeray Park Cricket Field in Etobicoke, highlighting a $25,000 RBC donation towards a practice net, tutoring local youth, and presenting free RBC Wicket Cricket equipment to four local schools.
- Helping kick-off the opening ceremonies of the RBC OCA Elite Trophy Tournament in Brampton.
- Engaging fans of all ages at autograph sessions at RBC branches in Fairview Mall, Brampton and Cooksville.
RBC’s goal is to create a legacy that will enable schools and neighbourhoods to build on their love of the game, pass along cherished traditions to our children, and create healthy vibrant communities. Akram agrees this is the right approach to helping grow the game in Canada “You go to grassroots, you go to schools, you coach kids and just explain to the kids that actually this game is a unique game and a simple game.”
“What RBC is trying to do for the youth cricket of this country is fantastic” said Joshi. Over the past five years, the RBC Wicket Cricket program has delivered free cricket equipment to more than 1,100 schools across the country. More than $250,000 worth of cricket-related grants have also been donated to municipalities, recreation centres and cricket clubs. And each summer, RBC donates cricket equipment to various municipal day camps and cricket associations. In May, 2011 the RBC Foundation announced $100,000 in funding to help improve access to cricket in four Canadian municipalities, including a $25,000 grant in Toronto’s Thorncliffe neighbourhood that will help turn a baseball diamond into a ‘multi-purpose’ field with portable wickets and stumps and a batting practice area built into the existing backstop.
RBC is also supporting Cricket Across The Pond, a community initiative led by CIMA Canada and the Access & Diversity Unit of the Parks, Forestry & Recreation to provide opportunities to youth from diverse neighborhoods to participate in a fully paid cricket training trip to the UK.
Cricket continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in Toronto. Thanks to the commitment from organizations like RBC, and thanks to the inspiration provided by Akram and Joshi over these past four days, maybe one day Canada will have its own ICC Hall of Famers to celebrate.
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