The Foundation Program is open to cricketers in School Years 10-13. Male and female cohorts run in parallel on the same day, with up to 16 players per group. If your player is serious about their game and wants to understand themselves better as a performer, this program is built for them.

Most coaching programs focus on technique. This one works on the whole player. Every session combines cricket skill development with Performance Life coaching — the mental and behavioural tools that determine how a player shows up under pressure, how they set goals, how they respond to setbacks, and how they communicate with coaches and teammates. Cricket is the vehicle. The growth is the destination.

What does a typical week look like? Each week includes a cricket training session. On Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 8, players also attend a group Performance Life session before cricket — covering a different THRIVE behaviour pillar each time. Week 1 includes a 30-minute session with parents and players together to launch the Personal Development Plan.

THRIVE is our evidence-based framework of seven behaviour pillars — Goal Setting, Self-Belief, Managing Pressure, Confidence, Resilience, Communication and Leadership. Every Performance Life session is built around one or more of these pillars, giving players a structured language for their development that goes well beyond the boundary.

The PDP is a real document — not a worksheet that gets filed away. It's built across the 8 weeks with input from the player, their parents and their coaches, and it belongs to the player when the program ends. It captures their strengths, growth areas and goals in a way they can carry into the season and beyond.

More than in most programs. Week 1 includes a dedicated parent and player session where families are introduced to the PDP and shown how to support their cricketer at home. Parents also contribute their own reflections to the development plan — giving each player a fuller picture of themselves. We give parents simple questions to ask after each session so development becomes a shared conversation, not just something that happens at the ground.

A maximum of 16 players per group. Male and female cohorts run separately on the same day. We keep groups intentionally small so every player gets genuine attention.

No minimum performance level is required — but the program is designed for players who are committed and ready to engage. Players who get the most out of it are those willing to reflect, ask questions, and put the tools into practice. The application form gives us a sense of each player's motivation and goals.

There are two program windows a year. The Spring 2026 program runs Sunday from 11 October to 29 November. The Summer 2027 program runs Fridays from 24 January to 21 March (no session on 7 February — Waitangi Day weekend).

Sessions are held at the Sydenham Indoor Centre, hosted by The Willows Cricket Club.

Complete the application form and submit. Places are limited and selected applicants will be contacted directly. You can also express your interest via the form on this page and we'll be in touch.

Players finish the program with a completed Personal Development Plan, a Thrive workbook full of their own notes and goals, and a set of tools they can draw on for the rest of their cricket career. Families with players in the Foundation Program also get priority access to future cohorts and upcoming programs — including the Skills Academy when it launches.