The Victoria Junior Cricket Academy runs June and July each year normally as this is the only time we have the capacity to utilise all the lanes for the programme. Below are the details from our 2023 programme but this is just an indication and the timing and pricing may change if we run the programme in 2024. You may submit a registration of interest to receive more details (usually around April 2024) HERE

2023 VICTORIAN JUNIOR CRICKET ACADEMY 

Cricket HQ is the home of the Victorian Junior Cricket Academy.

The 2023 Victorian Junior Cricket Academy (VJCA) is an 8 week training programme that targets talented and ambitious junior cricketers who have played or aspire to play representative cricket. The Academy operates through June and July and players train in small groups for an hour under the watchful eye of our experienced coaches. The curriculum covers all aspects of the game - batting, bowling, running between the wickets, fielding and tactical game day strategies. There are 3 separate academies for different age groups – The Rookie Rockets, The Junior Jets and the Pathway Players. The programme targets high end talented players and numbers are strictly limited.  

This is a high-performance training Academy for top end talented junior cricketers. The joy of making a Victorian underage state team or the heartbreak of missing out starts months or even years before the trials. Selection can come down to small things and the Academy is designed to help players prepare to compete with the state’s best young cricketers. Players will build confidence and work on the technical, tactical and mental aspects of their game.  The Academy provides a professional and disciplined learning environment with a proven record of producing representative players, Premier first XI cricketers and players who have gone on to represent Victoria and Australia in under-age teams. 

TECHNICAL	Cricket is a very technical game and our experienced and accredited coaches will put your batting technique under the microscope in our ‘Batting Lab’. They will work through your batting set up and lay the foundations to help you generate more power and score runs to every part of the ground. You will work through the full array of shots (front foot and back foot) plus address how to play spin. Our coaches will also examine your bowling action with a focus on injury prevention. .
TACTICAL	In the weekly group training sessions we challenge players by creating game day scenarios to simulate pressure situations. The sessions are designed to get players 'match ready' which means working balls into gaps, turning the strike over, dropping and running plus hitting boundaries and improving running between wickets. Bowlers also work on strategy including how to bowl at the ‘death’ plus set their own fields. They are taught how to create more variation in their deliveries and focus on executing their skills by bowling yorkers, slower balls, in-swingers and out-swingers (for pace bowlers) while the spin bowlers work on getting more revolutions on the ball to generate more spin and drift plus variation with balls like a wrong-un, slider and arm ball.
MENTAL	Cricket is a tough game that punishes lapses in concentration and small errors. You need to be focused, have a positive attitude and be a team player. Players also need to build resilience and be mentally strong to deal with game day pressure plus the inevitable 'failures', set backs and disappointment. The game of cricket also teaches players valuable life lessons including, the harder you work, the luckier you get! Success builds confidence (on and off the ground) and cricket is more than a game, it’s a microcosm of life. The Academy helps players to overcome their fears, push themselves to achieve their goals and develop a healthy attitude to competition and failure. Players can expect their match day results to skyrocket and potentially become match winners and leaders with a success mindset.

Watch some Under 12 players at the academy - click here 

You can read TESTIMONIALS from players and parents here.

2023 Applications - SORRY, CAPACITY EXCEEDED, NO FURTHER APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED - WINTER PROGRAMME IS STILL OPEN CURRENTLY

Please Note:- Unlike the Winter Programme, acceptance into the VJCA is not automatic. You need to download the Application Form and email the completed form to cricket@cricket-hq.com.au. We will acknowledge receipt of your application and will review and advise if your application has been accepted into the Academy. You can fill the form in securely online below - click on the yellow 'start' tag to get started.

Want more cricket? 

The Winter Programme runs on the weekends (June & July) for 9 weeks (20 minute one on one sessions 7 weeks plus 2 group sessions). See this page for more information.