ICC Online Cricket Game Uses Sport To Boost Academic Learning In Children

As excitement surrounding the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup reaches fever pitch, an innovative educational gaming web site designed to inspire academic achievement in millions of children is unveiled by the International Cricket Council.

London (I-Newswire) February 17, 2011 - As excitement surrounding the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup reaches fever pitch, an innovative educational gaming web site designed to inspire academic achievement in millions of children is unveiled by the International Cricket Council.

ICC Sportee Cricket (www.sporteecricket.com), launched on the 17th February 2011, is a cricket-themed interactive education programme for children. The site is the product of an ICC partnership with UK e-learning company MotivatEd, who specialise in engaging academically with children through their instinctive love of sport and online gaming.

ICC SporteeCricket takes the form of an online virtual world featuring a variety of cricket-themed locations, curriculum-linked games and adventure quests. Pupil’s academic achievements are rewarded by virtual currency that allows them to purchase real world international players for their own playable class cricket dream team. The site’s strong motivational structure means that as pupils improve their class team, they can climb a ratings table, win competitions and challenge other classes to matches.

The site features all of the cricketing stars playing in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and is being marketed globally. The online games featured in ICC Sportee Cricket support learning in mathematics, language, science, geography, and history - as well as helping to develop skills in cross-curricular competences such as nutrition, citizenship, teamwork and digital literacy. In-game commentary is provided by Sky Sports cricket presenter Charles Colvile.
Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive, commented,

“The ICC is very excited by the potential of this new web site to inspire academic learning. Cricket is a big part of hundreds of millions of children’s lives across the globe and we see ICC Sportee Cricket as a valuable way of connecting educationally with these young people through innovative use of technology. We are confident that ICC Sportee Cricket will inspire many thousands of children to gain life-enhancing knowledge through their love of cricket.”

The current number one rated batsman in the world AB de Villiers has also expressed his backing for the ICC Sportee Cricket programme, explaining that:

“Many children that love and play cricket live in disadvantaged conditions. I fully support the way in which ICC Sportee Cricket aims to inspire learning in young people from every type of background and environment.”

Phil Clegg, Managing Director of MotivatEd, said,

“Advances in technology mean that more and more children spend time on the Internet playing games. Our aim is to encourage constructive use of this recreational time to boost educational growth, improve access to health information, and motivate increases in general physical activity. I am thrilled to be working with the ICC, especially in terms of reaching children in countries such as India and Kenya, many of whom adore cricket, but may not have easy access to appealing educational materials. We plan to launch a mobile phone version of the site later this year to further increase our ability to connect with these kinds of young people.”

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A press pack can be downloaded here:
http://www.sporteecricket.com/parentsTeachersTs&Cs/pressPack.html