Summer 2026/27
THRIVE
IN-SEASON
WINTER IS WHERE WE BUILD IT.
THE SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN TO USE IT.
Thrive In-Season is a small-group online coaching programme helping young cricketers learn from what is actually happening in their games.
Cricket development. Game intelligence. Mental skills. Performance Life.
Players bring their real cricket into the room. Together we help them understand what happened, what they can learn from it and what to take into their next game.
Applications close 18th October. Only 16 places available.
October 2026 – March 2027
October 2026 - March 2027
Fortnightly Mondays at 7.30pm
Online
Maximum 16 Players
October 2026 – March 2027
Fortnightly Mondays at 7.30pm
Online
Maximum 16 players
.
Cricket Development Performance Life Mental skills.
A More Complete Approach to In-Season Development
We build better cricketers by building better people.
Thrive In-Season combines three areas of development that are often treated separately.
This is not online cricket skills training.
We’re not trying to coach batting or bowling technique through a screen. We’re developing the thinking, awareness and self-management that sit behind performance.
CRICKET DEVELOPMENT
Players will develop their understanding of the game, including tactics, strategy, preparation, decision-making, game plans and cricket intelligence.
Matt will help players understand their cricket better.
❏ Why did that situation unfold the way it did?
❏ What options did they have?
❏ What patterns are showing up?
❏ How could they prepare differently?
❏ What is their plan when they next encounter that situation?
PERFORMANCE
LIFE
Cricket doesn't happen in isolation.
Confidence, relationships, wellbeing, identity, motivation, communication and what is happening away from cricket can all affect performance.
Ellie helps players understand the person behind the cricketer and develop the self-awareness and skills to navigate the realities of competitive sport.
MENTAL PERFORMANCE
Players will also build practical tools for the moments cricket inevitably throws at them.
❏ Pressure.
❏ Mistakes.
❏ A bad innings.
❏ A difficult spell.
❏ Selection.
❏ Non-selection.
❏ Confidence dropping.
❏ Expectation.
❏ Comparison.
Rather than trying to eliminate these experiences, we'll help players learn how to respond to them.
HOW IT WORKS
The season becomes the classroom...
Thrive In-Season is for motivated young cricketers who want to keep learning throughout the season, not simply wait until the end of summer to work out what went well and what didn’t.
PLAY
REFLECT
UNDERSTAND
ADJUST
APPLY
The goal isn’t to create players who need more coaching.
It’s to develop players who understand their own game.
Players PLAY
They REFLECT briefly on what happened.
We help them UNDERSTAND the cricket, mental, emotional, preparation and wellbeing factors behind the performance.
They decide what they need to ADJUST.
Then they take that learning back and APPLY it into their next training session or game.
And the cycle begins again.
Over time, we're helping young players become less dependent on adults telling them what went wrong or what to do next and increasingly able to understand and take responsibility for their own development.
WHO'S IT FOR
Serious youth cricketers who want to go further
Thrive In-Season is for young cricketers who want to keep developing during the season and are ready to become more involved in understanding their own game.
Trains well but doesn't always translate it into matches.
Gets caught up in runs, wickets, selection or individual results.
Is starting to ask more sophisticated questions about their game.
Would benefit from a trusted person outside their team environment to reflect with.
Wants to become more tactically aware and independent.
Needs support navigating confidence, pressure or setbacks.
They don’t need to be the highest-performing player in their team. We care much more about curiosity, coachability and willingness to learn.
What's included:
Everything you need to keep growing.
Fortnightly 60 minute online group sessions
Matt and Ellie together at each session
PDP Reviews at the start, middle and end
Thrive in Season performance journal
Welcome parent / Caregiver session
Built on the THRIVE framework
Every Thrive in Cricket programme is built around seven behaviours that sit behind lasting performance. Players track their progress against them in their Personal Development Plan (PDP) at the start, middle and end of the season.
The PDP helps each player identify the one or two areas that will make the biggest difference right now, so they aren't trying to fix everything at once.
Preparation & Practice
Mental Toughness & Emotional Awareness
Self-Awareness & Responsibility
Adaptability & Game Intelligence
Wellbeing & Balance
Team Connection & Self-Leadership
Continuous Growth & Mindset
October 2026 to March 2027
One small online cohort of no more than 16 players.
Fortnightly online group coaching
Sessions will run on Monday evenings at 7.30pm.
We’ll meet fortnightly through the cricket season, with a break over Christmas and early January.
Exact session dates will be confirmed shortly.
Matt and Ellie will both be involved in every session, integrating:
❏ Cricket development and game intelligence
❏ Tactical thinking and decision-making
❏ Mental performance skills
❏ Confidence and managing pressure
❏ Preparation and routines
❏ Emotional awareness and regulation
❏ Performance reflection
❏ Wellbeing
❏ Communication
❏ Leadership
❏ Personal responsibility
Three PDP reviews
Players will revisit their Personal Development Plan at the:
Start → Middle → End
of the season.
This helps them see their progress across the whole season rather than judging themselves game by game.
Thrive In-Season Performance Journal
Players will receive a simple digital journal to use for short post-game reflection and preparation before our sessions.
This isn't homework.
It is a tool to help players notice patterns, capture learning and arrive at our sessions ready to talk about their own cricket.
Parent support
Parents are an important part of a young player's cricket environment too.
The programme includes:
❏ A short parent welcome session
❏ A mid-season parent update
❏ An end-of-season parent update
We'll share what we're working on and help parents understand how they can support the development without needing to become another coach.
By the end of the season, we want players to know more than whether they scored runs or took wickets.
We want them to understand their game better, recognise patterns, manage themselves through the inevitable highs and lows, make more informed decisions and take greater ownership of their development.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Every Thrive In-Season group session is delivered by Matt and Ellie together.
Matt Bell
Former Black Cap, former White Ferns coach and experienced high-performance cricket coach.
In Thrive In-Season, Matt brings an elite player's and coach's eye to the thinking side of cricket: reading match situations, building game plans, making better decisions under pressure, and preparing well for different conditions and opponents.
He helps players understand why things unfolded the way they did, and what to do differently next time.
Director of Coaching
Ellie Bell
ICF ACC accredited performance life coach working with young athletes on the mental and personal skills they need to perform, develop and thrive.
In Thrive In-Season, Ellie focuses on the person behind the cricketer: confidence, pressure, emotions, motivation, identity, communication and wellbeing. She also designs and guides each player's Personal Development Plan.
She helps players build the self-awareness and tools to handle the realities of competitive sport, on and off the field.
Director of Performance Life
FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
Confidence. Clarity. Connection.
You see the highs and lows of the season up close: the car ride home after a duck, the nerves before a big game, the disappointment of missing selection.
Thrive In-Season gives your player a trusted space outside their team to make sense of it all, with two experienced coaches who care about the person as much as the cricketer.
What you'll get:
A short welcome session so you know exactly what we're working on
Mid-season and end-of-season updates on your player's progress
Practical ideas for supporting your player without becoming another coach
We don't build cricketers who peak early and burn out. We build cricketers who last.
INVESTMENT
Choose the option that works for you.
Approx 10 group sessions with two coaches, three PDP reviews, a performance journal and parent updates
Winter Academy Players
$549 + GST paid in full
or
6 monthly payments of $100 + GST
Total $600 + GST
Winter Academy players have first priority before places open more widely
Standard Price
$599 + GST paid in full
or
6 monthly payments of $110 + GST
Total $660 + GST
Open to all other players (subject to availability)
Ready to keep developing?
If you'd like your player to be considered for Thrive In-Season, complete the short application below.
It should take no more than a few minutes.
Once we've received it, we'll be in touch to confirm a place and organise payment.
SMALL GROUP. REAL CRICKET. CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
OPTIONAL INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
Tailored 1:1 Support to Fast Track Development
The Thrive In-Season group programme stands completely on its own.
For players who would benefit from more personalised support, there are also optional individual coaching packs.
Matt: In-Season Cricket Performance Pack
$330 + GST (3 x 45min Sessions)
$660+ GST (6 x 45min Sessions)
This is individual cricket performance coaching, rather than a traditional physical skills lesson.
Sessions might explore:
Tactical thinking, game plans, decision-making, match/video review and personalised actions.
Matt will spend time reviewing relevant context before each session and players will receive concise actions afterwards to take into training and matches.
Ellie: In-Season Performance Life Pack
$330+ GST (3 x 30min Sessions)
$660 + GST (6 x 30min Sessions)
Focused support for the person behind the performance.
Sessions might explore:
Confidence, pressure, mindset, emotions, motivation, selection, identity and wellbeing.
Something emerging from the player's PDP or group sessions
If something needs more time and depth, a longer standalone session can also be booked separately.
Full Thrive Performance Pack
$625 + GST (3 x Cricket and 3 x Performance Life)
$1200 + GST (6 x Cricket and 6 x Performance Life)
This is ideal for players who would benefit from targeted support across both their cricket performance and Performance Life development.
Completely optional. Thrive In-Season is designed to stand alone. You have option to add on when you apply or at any stage during the season.
A limited number of separate in-person cricket skills coaching sessions with Matt are available at $100 + GST for 60 minutes
STILL NOT SURE?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thrive In-Season only for Winter Academy players?
No. Winter Academy players have first priority and access to the priority rate, but remaining places will then be opened more widely. The programme is designed for young cricketers who are keen to keep developing throughout the season and are ready to reflect on their game.
Is this cricket skills coaching?
Not in the traditional sense. Thrive In-Season focuses on cricket development, tactics, strategy, game awareness and decision-making, alongside Performance Life and mental skills. We won’t be coaching batting or bowling technique through a screen. Players can add separate in-person skills sessions with Matt if they want hands-on technical coaching.
What happens in the online sessions?
Players bring what is happening in their real cricket into the group. We’ll help them reflect on matches, understand patterns, explore tactical and mental challenges, and decide what they want to adjust or take into their next training session or game. Sessions are practical, discussion-based and designed to help players become more self-aware and independent.
When do the sessions run?
Sessions will run fortnightly on Monday evenings at 7.30pm from October 2026 to March 2027, with a break over Christmas and early January. Exact dates will be confirmed before the programme begins.
Do we need to add the 1:1 support?
No. The group programme is designed to stand on its own. The optional 1:1 packs are there for players who would benefit from more targeted support around either cricket performance, Performance Life, or both.
Small Group. Real Cricket
Continous Development
If you're ready to help your child make sense of their season, respond to challenges and keep growing, we would love to have them as part of Thrive-in-Season