Pitch It Up: A Simple Tool Helping Make Cricket More Inclusive

Across Australia, coaches, teachers and families are looking for practical ways to make cricket welcoming for children with disability. One emerging tool helping to break down barriers is Pitch It Up – a lightweight, portable bowling machine, founded by Emma Thomson, and designed to deliver a lightweight ball at a consistent speed and trajectory.

Pitch It Up was originally developed to give young cricketers a simple, safe way to practice batting, catching and wicket-keeping. Its potential for All Abilities and disability cricket became clear once it was introduced to players with diverse learning, physical and sensory needs.

Because the ball delivery can be set to be predictable and repeatable, participants who may have struggled in traditional training environments were now experiencing success. Low-vision and wheelchair cricket participants also began using the device, with the consistent ball flight helping them focus on technique while coaches tailored sessions to individual needs. What started in backyards, schools and clubs has grown into a training aid supporting a far broader range of participants than originally anticipated.

When Pitch It Up is used in All Abilities cricket, confidence is usually the first visible change. Knowing where the ball will come from allows participants to concentrate on skills like batting, catching or wicket-keeping and to experience success early and often.

As confidence grows, trust in coaches, volunteers and teammates follows. Players start to feel a genuine sense of belonging and pride as part of a team environment and for many, it may be the first time they have felt fully included in a sporting activity. The joy, laughter and sideline celebrations from parents, carers, coaches and teachers show just how powerful those moments of success can be.

Traditional cricket training can present several barriers for children with disability, including inconsistent bowling, fear of being hit by a hard ball and the need for constant coach involvement. Pitch It Up addresses these challenges through a lightweight ball and controlled, reliable delivery that reduces anxiety linked to fast or unpredictable movements.

In school and community sport settings, activities involving bats and projected balls are sometimes modified or restricted for safety reasons, which can unintentionally exclude some participants. Pitch It Up provides a safer, more controlled alternative so children of all abilities can participate together in the same activity rather than watching from the sidelines. This supports skill development, confidence and a genuine sense of inclusion.

Auditory cues are critical for blind and low-vision participants. In response, the team behind Pitch It Up is developing and testing an audible cricket ball that can be used with the machine, allowing players to track the ball through sound while still benefiting from consistent, predictable delivery.

The aim is straightforward: children with low vision or blindness should participate alongside their peers, not in separate activities. By simply swapping the standard lightweight ball for an audible ball, the same training activity becomes accessible to a broader group of participants, without major equipment changes or complex adaptations.

Consistency in ball flight and speed means children can focus on timing and technique instead of reacting to unpredictable bowls. Repeated successful contact with the ball builds hand–eye coordination and reinforces confidence through positive experiences.

Safety is also central to the design. Pitch It Up uses a unique engineered lightweight ball that behaves like a cricket ball in flight but without the hardness and injury risk associated with traditional balls. Once participants realise they can attempt catches or shots without fear of being hurt, a major barrier to participation is often removed. The consistent speed and trajectory further reduce anxiety, allowing children to progress at their own pace and build trust in the activity.

While the primary focus is on participation and skill development, many parents, teachers and coaches report improvements in concentration, persistence and self-confidence when children engage in structured cricket activities using Pitch It Up. The batting, fielding and catching drills help participants stay engaged, experience achievement and, most importantly, have fun – which is what keeps them coming back to sport.

Tools like Pitch It Up also align with broader national efforts to increase sport participation among children with disability. Because it can be used by all participants without specialist adaptation, it can be integrated seamlessly into mainstream classroom and training environments. Instead of separate or highly modified sessions, children can take part in inclusive activities with subtle adjustments, such as altering ball projection to match individual skill levels – a common best practice in physical education.

By making cricket more accessible, consistent and enjoyable for everyone, adaptive training aids like Pitch It Up can help reduce structural barriers to participation. They support national goals to increase activity levels, improve physical and emotional wellbeing, and ensure every child has equitable access to the benefits of sport in both school and community settings.

Head to the Pitch It Up website for more information.