Schools Success Welcomed

Moreton Bay College Head of Primary Schools Sport Marc Hughes received the national Celebrating Cricket in Schools award.

Hughes was recognised for growing the game significantly at the school, overseeing a 167 percent increase in female participants over three years.

Lasty year he implemented a four-week cricket curriculum delivered by Queensland Cricket staff across six classes in Term 3, engaging approximately 150 students.

This curriculum was not simply a standalone program — Marc used it as a structured pathway to prepare students for the Andrews Cup Girls’ School Cricket Competition.

His leadership culminated in a remarkable event at Tingalpa’s Kianawah Park, where over 20 girls’ teams from various all-girls schools across Greater Brisbane participated.

This week, Hughes reflected on the combined efforts that delivered the national recognition for MBC, Queensland Cricket and himself.

Congratulations on your Cricket Australia award—what does this recognition mean to you and the Moreton Bay College community? 
 
It’s a humbling recognition and one I’m incredibly grateful for, but it reflects the work of a much bigger group of people than just me. Moreton Bay College has always had a strong sporting culture and a commitment to creating opportunities for girls and I’ve been fortunate to work in an environment that genuinely values participation, connection and growth. 
 
I’m also really proud of the staff, coaches, families and students who have embraced the vision we’ve been trying to create in primary sport, including cricket, over the past few years. A lot of the growth has come from people consistently showing up, building relationships and creating environments where students feel safe to try something new. 
 
For me, the award is a reminder that participation growth isn’t really about numbers, it’s about culture. If students feel welcomed, supported and excited to come back each week, participation tends to grow naturally from there.  
 
What drives your passion for growing cricket at the primary school level? 
 
Primary school is such an important age for shaping how young people view sport and physical activity. A positive experience at that age can have a lasting impact on a student’s confidence and willingness to stay involved in sport long-term. 
 
When I first arrived at Moreton Bay College, cricket was still relatively new at an interschool level and there was an opportunity to continue building its visibility within primary sport. The interest was there, but participation opportunities were more limited and the pathways into sports like cricket weren’t always as visible or accessible for students. 
 
Moreton Bay College has always had a strong sporting culture and high standards in the secondary space, and I wanted to help bring that same energy and focus into primary sport while still making participation feel safe, encouraging and positive for students. 
 
Over time, I also realised that success in school sport can’t be measured by results and performance outcomes alone. Those things are often outside the control of both students and coaches. What became much more important to me was students enjoying themselves, building confidence, improving their skills and wanting to come back each week. 
 
Seeing students grow in confidence and start identifying themselves as cricketers is what drives me most. 
 
How do you create an environment where students feel confident trying cricket for the first time? 
 
A big focus for us has been creating an environment that feels psychologically safe. Trying a new sport can feel quite vulnerable for young people, especially in a game like cricket where many students worry about making mistakes or not being “good enough”. That’s why relationships matter a lot. Students are far more willing to take risks and step outside their comfort zone when they feel genuinely supported by their teachers, coaches and teammates. 
 
We’ve embedded cricket in our curriculum-aligned striking unit for Year 5 students, which has been another fantastic way to expose students to the game in a safe and supportive environment. It gives students the opportunity to build confidence and familiarity with cricket before choosing whether they’d like to become involved in school or community programs. Queensland Cricket have been brilliant in helping to support that program as well.  
 
We’ve also worked to remove as many barriers as possible by providing equipment, creating fun, game-based sessions, and making sure students can experience small moments of success early on.  
 
What strategies have worked best to engage and retain girls in cricket? 
 
The biggest thing has been creating an environment where girls genuinely feel like they belong in the sport. 
 
That sounds simple, but it takes time and consistency. We’ve created as many accessible entry points into cricket as possible and made participation feel positive from the very beginning. 
 
We used Queensland Cricket-run introductory programs to help build skills, awareness and confidence for all primary students before the interschool season even began. We then introduced a smaller Year 4-6 program specifically designed to prepare students for interschool cricket by introducing the skills, rules and game formats students would experience during competition. 
 
That familiarity gave students confidence, but it also allowed them to build relationships with the Queensland Cricket coaches, who would later umpire at interschool competitions. Those connections matter. 
 
One thing that worked particularly well was running our Prep to Year 3 after-school cricket program at the same time as interschool training. Younger students could see the pathway in front of them and connect with older primary and secondary students involved in cricket around the college. 
 
That visibility and sense of belonging have been some of the biggest drivers of growth. All students want connection, and cricket became a space where students across different year levels could encourage and support one another. 
 
We’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have passionate staff involved in the program. Mrs Tracy Boyd, who played representative cricket in New Zealand, has played a huge role in encouraging girls to give cricket a go. Her enthusiasm for the game is infectious, and she creates an environment where students feel supported, successful and motivated to keep improving. 
 
Over time, those relationships, pathways and positive experiences have helped create a culture where girls feel excited seeing cricket as a sport for them. 
 
What’s one moment or success story from your girls’ program that stands out? 
 
Last year’s interschool cricket competition was the moment where I realised just how far cricket at Moreton Bay College had come. 
 
Two years prior, the school had just managed to enter two teams, with training held during morning tea. Last year, we had six teams all training before and after school each week, and the students absolutely loved their cricket. The smiles, the encouragement, the high fives after taking wickets and catches, and the absolute joy on their faces while playing sport really epitomised success for me. 
 
What made me most proud wasn’t necessarily the results. It was watching students who had never played cricket before continuing to show up each week, trust their coaches, feel themselves improving and growing in confidence. 
 
Seeing those students go out and give everything for their team and the college was really special. It felt like a reflection of the environment we’ve created where success isn’t just linked to winning, but to showing up each day with an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to learn and support those around you. 
 
What makes the cricket program at Moreton Bay College standout for students of all ability levels? 
 
One of the biggest strengths of the cricket program at Moreton Bay College is that students genuinely feel like there is a place for them within it, regardless of their previous experience or ability level. 
 
We have students involved who play club cricket at a very high level, but we also have students who are picking up a bat for the first time. Both groups are equally valued within the program, and I think that’s really important. 
 
Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to intentionally build cricket into the broader culture of the College rather than it simply being an isolated sport season. That’s included introducing curriculum-aligned cricket units within PE, creating before and after-school opportunities for different age groups, increasing the number of teams involved in interschool competitions and strengthening partnerships with Queensland Cricket and local clubs. 
 
We’ve also made sport as a whole more visible and celebrated across the school community. Whether it’s assemblies, sport reports, captain announcements or recognising student achievements, we want students to see sport as something positive, inclusive and genuinely valued at Moreton Bay College. 
 
Cricket has shown us how powerful connection can be in a school environment. Having younger students training alongside older students, secondary students helping coach primary teams and club coaches becoming familiar faces around the College has created a positive sense of belonging around the game. 
 
Ultimately, I think what makes the program special is that students feel supported to try, improve and enjoy the experience without fear of judgement. For many students, that confidence and connection become far more important than the results themselves. 
 
How important are school events like gala days and internal competitions in building excitement and participation? 
 
They’re incredibly important because they create energy, visibility and connection around sport. 
 
For many students, gala days and internal competitions are where they first realise that sport can be social, exciting and genuinely enjoyable. Those experiences often become the reason students continue participating afterwards. They create memories that last throughout their entire schooling journey, and often well beyond that. 
 
They also give students something to work towards. Having school-based pathways and opportunities to represent the college helps give purpose to the training and growth that happens throughout the season. Students begin to see the connection between practice, persistence, teamwork and improvement, which is really powerful at a primary school level. 
 
Gala days and competitions also create opportunities for students to connect across year levels, support each other and build positive memories associated with physical activity and teamwork. Those shared experiences are instrumental in helping students feel like they belong within a sporting community. 
 
At a school like Moreton Bay College, where community and connection are really valued, those moments build our culture.   
 
 How have partnerships with Queensland Cricket and local clubs supported participation and player pathways—especially for girls? 
 
Partnerships with Queensland Cricket and local clubs have played a huge role in the growth of cricket at Moreton Bay College. 
 
I could see there was an opportunity for the college to strengthen its alignment and connection with sporting organisations like Queensland Cricket and local community clubs. Those partnerships have become especially important in helping us create genuine pathways for students. 
 
Queensland Cricket staff and coaches have been fantastic because they’ve genuinely embraced the culture and values we work hard to create at Moreton Bay College. Their coaches bring great energy, care and enthusiasm to sessions, and they’ve helped create environments where students feel supported and excited to participate. 
 
Our partnerships with local clubs have also helped bridge the gap between school and community cricket. We’ve intentionally brought club coaches into the interschool sport environment so students build relationships with familiar faces before potentially transitioning into club cricket themselves. 
 
That connection between schools, clubs and organisations like Queensland Cricket is incredibly important for the future of girls’ cricket because it helps students and families feel supported throughout the entire journey. 
 
What excites you most about the future of girls’ cricket, and how can families get involved? 
 
Girls’ cricket is in a really exciting place right now because there are more opportunities, pathways and role models available than ever before. 
 
There’s also been a real shift in the perception of girls’ cricket. People are starting to recognise just how skilled, competitive and engaging the game is. I’d challenge anyone who still thinks girls’ cricket is “hit and giggle” to come and watch an Andrews Cup competition. The standard, skill and competitiveness are fierce. 
 
There’s still a misconception that cricket is expensive, time-consuming or requires lots of specialised equipment. The reality is that there are now so many different entry points into the game, especially for girls, and programs are far more accessible and flexible than people often realise. 
 
What excites me most, though, is seeing more girls genuinely feel like cricket is a space where they belong. When students feel connected and encouraged, really positive things happen. 
 
For families, I would simply say to be open-minded and give it a try. Sometimes all it takes is one positive experience, one encouraging coach or one supportive team environment for a student to discover something they genuinely love being part of.