Welcome to the Twenty20 Academy
Our Winter Training programme is designed by our coaching team to improve players skills and game awareness through specifically designed coaching modules and themes. Players who get the most out of the Academy will be with us over a number of years. Many join at under 10 and carry on until under 17.
What players learn in Year 1 at Twenty20 Academy
Consistent basics:
From the set-ups to the nature of efficient movement and footwork, the fundamentals set up a player for success in junior cricket. We work on the basics but also help players understand why they are so important within youth cricket coaching.
Independence:
Feeding balls correctly to your partner. Simple “self-run” warm-up activities. A set routine for batting, bowling and fielding. We encourage players to look after themselves, and each other — a key part of developing independent young cricketers.
“Soft skills” in cricket:
Twenty20 Academy places a lot of value on teamwork as well as individual skill. Without your teammates, you can’t win a game.
We work on players using the correct communication skills when talking to each other. Many fielding activities involve cooperation and collective decision-making, which are essential for team-based cricket development.
We make sure players mix between friendship groups during sessions, learn new names, and bond. This helps us create a strong “one club” identity.
Lots of matches:
Indoor and outdoor games allow players to experience a variety of roles within competitive junior cricket. As well as playing other clubs and academies, we fill the summer with intra-academy games.
In each game, players will have more of a bat or more of a bowl. Over a season this averages out. We believe it is important for young players to keep their options open as developing cricketers.
Reporting:
Our coaches learn a lot about each player through training sessions and matches. Reporting begins by focusing on fundamentals and becomes more individualised as the year progresses.
We consider technical, tactical, physical and emotional development.
Years 2 and 3: Building a Cricket Pathway
Targets for the year:
We assess a player’s progress and set development goals for the following season. Which shots need more confidence? Can they adapt plans for different opponents?
The benefit of our 12-month cricket training programme is that players have enough time not only to learn skills, but to trust them under pressure. Training increasingly focuses on turning weaker areas into strengths.
“Your game”:
We help players build an individual game plan based on their strengths and personality. Reporting reflects this deeper understanding of each player’s cricketing identity.
A closer team unit:
By this stage, players know each other well and team spirit strengthens. In matches, roles are still shared, but players are given more licence to set plans and tactics.
Winter match-awareness training leads to better team fielding and running between the wickets — skills that develop over time through trust and intuition.
Teenage Years: Becoming a Senior Cricketer
Taking ownership of training:
Players are encouraged to be reflective and devote more session time to personal development goals. Small working groups allow players to support each other. The independence developed in earlier years means players can increasingly drive sessions, with coaches adding value through detailed, forensic feedback.
Shaping a team:
In matches, players begin to lean more towards their stronger discipline while still developing all-round skills.
We continue to encourage all-round development, with intra-matches providing opportunities to nurture a player’s second skill.
Moving into Adulthood Through Cricket
Belonging as a player:
As players become adults, they begin planning for their future. Whether progressing through a Surrey cricket pathway, becoming a 1st XI club player, or playing socially, finding long-term belonging in cricket is vital.
At Twenty20 Academy, we want players to continue loving the game. We remain ambitious in helping players maximise potential, while recognising that motivations vary.
Becoming a coach:
We have supported many players through cricket coach development, sometimes beginning with volunteering for the Duke of Edinburgh award. Our close relationships allow us to mentor players as coaches, helping them understand responsibility, patience and leadership — supporting maturity both on and off the field.
Lifetime friends:
Beyond their time at the Academy, hundreds of former players remain connected and maintain lifelong friendships through the cricket community. We often meet ex-members again through cricket and always enjoy hearing how they are getting on.
