Redball recognised at Sports Awards.

Drum Property Group has been awarded ‘Business Community Partner of the Year’ at the Aberdeen Sports Awards 2019 for its Redball Programme.

For the fourth year in a row Drum Property Group has provided increased funding to facilitate Aberdeenshire Cricket clubs’ delivery of the Redball Taking Cricket into the Community initiative, an 8-week introduction to cricket for local primary schools. In addition, Drum provides marketing support and senior management staff attend school festival days.

“The support and encouragement we have received from Drum Property Group has been fantastic and allowed us to deliver a year-round programme. As soon as we finish a block of coaching the schools ask ‘when are you coming back’ as the children have so much fun.

We are beginning to see the transition of children from the schools to our junior section as they start what we hope will be a lifelong cricket journey. This is key to the continuation of cricket not just at the club but in the Aberdeen area.“

Fife Hyland, Communications Director at Drum said,

“Aberdeenshire Cricket Club has done an excellent job in driving Redball forward, and it has been very rewarding to witness the real impact and enjoyment the programme is bringing to so many pupils from local schools in Aberdeen. “As a major investor in the North East of Scotland, it is great for us to see real local benefit and participation arising from our support of the Redball programme, and we look forward to working with ACC to keep expanding the programme in the coming years.”

The Redball programme, based on Cricket Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence strategy, is designed to allow maximum participation, assist teachers and pupils to achieve curriculum outcomes, and ensure cricket is delivered in a fun and engaging way.

The increased support from Drum has allowed Aberdeenshire Cricket Club to continue to extend the programme adding additional schools, provide lunch and after school clubs, increase the number of school festivals and expand cricket delivery out with primary schools.

Over the 2018 to 2019 school year the Redball team:


  • Expanded the programme to 17 schools.

  • Introduced cricket to over 1200 pupils in P5 & P6 year groups.

  • Provided 264 one-hour coaching sessions over 20 weeks.

  • Held three festival days attended by 14 schools and 500 pupils

  • Delivered afterschool club at Hazelhead primary and lunch club at Kingsford primary.

  • Supported cricket games between Hazelhead and Robert Gordons primary schools.

  • Supported girls’ cricket between Kingsford and Robert Gordons primary schools.

  • Provided cricket coaching sessions at Cults Easter camps.


As a direct result of the Redball programme the Under 11 junior section of Aberdeenshire Cricket club increased by 30 children this summer with 10 girls attending.

Redball has now reached over 4000 school children since its introduction to schools in 2015.

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