New cricket centre inaugurated in Mirpur

The new cricketing and educational facility, developed and funded by the non-profit Sport for Life! foundation, the UK government and international cricketing authorities has been opened at the Mirpur International Cricket Stadium in Pakistan.

The Pakistan government is supporting the venture, which will provide sport, education and healthy lifestyle training to disadvantaged children aged between 10 and 16 years who are failing to reach their potential. The centre will also have a state-of-the-art IT suite where the children will be able to have additional lessons in various subjects, as well as cricket coaching provided in association with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

As well as providing exciting new education facilities the centres will give young people, who may otherwise be vulnerable to negative influences, a set of positive role models.

The project is supported by some of Pakistan's greatest cricketing role models, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan, as well as the PCB, the ECB and the ICC.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said, "Cricket plays a key role in Pakistani society. Sport for Life! Pakistan gives us the opportunity to expand that role and help many children in the country who could be making more of their lives. Mirpur is a tremendous facility and Sport for Life! Pakistan will ensure that it fulfills its purpose as a centre for community activity as well to host world class cricket matches."

Lord Richard Newby, UK Director of Sport for Life! Inc, said the initiative had the potential to fundamentally change the lives of many children both in Kashmir and across Pakistan. "We are immensely grateful to our sponsors for getting us to this point," Newby said. "We will now be looking for additional resources both internationally and domestically, to enable the project to develop and expand."

Sport for Life! plans to develop more centres in Rawalpindi and other parts of Pakistan. The foundation will continue to sustain the initiative through a combination of internal and external, private, public and philanthropic donations.