South Asian Cricket Academy

What South Asian Cricket Academy does

South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) is a UK-registered non-profit organisation headquartered in Birmingham, founded in January 2022 by Dr. Tom Brown (a PhD researcher on British South Asian talent identification in professional cricket) and former professional cricketer Kabir Ali. SACA's stated mission is to address the under-representation of British South Asian (BSA) cricketers in professional English cricket — a gap it cites as 30% of recreational cricketers being BSA versus only 5% of professional men's players. It delivers this through high-performance winter training programmes across five regional hubs (Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol, Wokingham, and East London), provided free of charge to selected participants aged 18+, followed by competitive fixtures against county 2nd and 1st XIs designed to expose players to Directors of Cricket for professional contracts.

The core product is a multi-disciplinary training programme combining cricket coaching, strength and conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy and psychology support, all delivered by a culturally diverse coaching bench that includes former professionals and BSA coaches. Supporting offerings include a Coach Development Programme for aspiring BSA coaches and a Research Programme conducted in partnership with Birmingham City University, which funds PhD research into inclusive high-performance environments and socio-cultural barriers in cricket. A Women's Programme was launched as an elite pilot in January 2026 with an initial squad of 15, run in collaboration with the Take Her Lead charity.

SACA is funded entirely through external contributions — primarily an England and Wales Cricket Board grant supplemented by Birmingham City University research funding and corporate sponsorships (Pearn Kandola as Platinum Sponsor, plus Remitly, Moonwalkr, Care Nexus, and Lacuna Sports) — with no fees charged to participants. The organisation has helped 18 male players secure professional first-class county contracts since 2022, of whom two have received international honours. It operates as a registered non-profit with 1–10 employees and no parent company or equity ownership, governed by its founders and supported by a board of trustees.

Name

South Asian Cricket Academy

Legal name

South Asian Cricket Academy

Website

https://saca-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) is a UK non-profit, founded 2022, that runs free, PhD-research-backed high-performance cricket training across five English regional hubs to help British South Asian players earn professional county contracts. It has produced 18 male graduates with pro deals since inception and launched a Women's Programme in January 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cricket Training & Talent Development

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Boarding Schools & Residential Academies (MPAKAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Referee, Umpire & Coach Education/Certification Academies (MPAKAJAN)

Keywords

• Cricket coaching programmes
• Athlete development training
• Talent identification programmes
• High performance sports training
• Cricket pathway support

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Non-profit Funding Model: SACA is a non-profit organisation that operates solely on funding from partners, sponsors, and public donations. No revenue is generated from participants; all programme delivery is funded through external contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) is a UK-based non-profit organisation that delivers high-performance cricket training programmes for talented British South Asian cricketers, with the goal of increasing their representation in professional English cricket. The academy operates a network of regional training hubs (North, Midlands, South West, South East, London & East) providing expert coaching, strength & conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy, and psychology support, followed by competitive fixtures against county 2nd and 1st XIs to enable players to earn professional contracts. All services are provided free of charge to participants, funded through donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

SACA is a non-profit cricket academy offering a multi-tiered development programme focused on increasing British South Asian representation in professional cricket. The core offering consists of the Men's Programme (featuring five regional hubs: North, Midlands, South West, South East, and London & East) and the Women's Programme (launched January 2026). The programmes provide high-performance training, expert coaching, fixtures against county sides, and pathway to professional contracts. Supporting offerings include a Coach Development Programme and a Research Programme conducted in partnership with Birmingham City University. The Men's Programme has produced 18 professional graduates, while the Women's Programme is a newer initiative run in collaboration with Take Her Lead.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SACA Men's Programme High-performance cricket training programme for male players aged 18+ of British South Asian heritage, delivered through regional hubs (North, Midlands, South West, South East, London & East) by a diverse coaching staff, with fixtures against county 2nd and 1st XIs to help players earn professional contracts. Free for participants.
• SACA Women's Programme Elite women's cricket pilot programme providing a high-performance training and showcase environment for talented female cricketers of British South Asian heritage, run in collaboration with Take Her Lead. Free for participants.
• SACA Coach Development Programme Programme supporting British South Asian cricket coaches in obtaining ECB qualifications (minimum Level 3, aspiring to Level 4), providing networking opportunities and professional cricket experience.
• SACA Research Programme Research initiative investigating British South Asian representation in cricket, including PhD studies on inclusive high-performance environments and socio-cultural barriers, conducted in partnership with Birmingham City University (and co-funded with Take Her Lead and ACE).

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 male graduates have secured professional contracts at first-class counties since 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Essex County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Essex CCC partnered with SACA for the London & East hub, set up in January 2026 at the Leyton Urban Cricket Hub in East London. The hub has been used to host a Remitly Talent Hunt trial and serves as a training base for players in the London and East region.
• England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECB funding is the primary financial support enabling SACA to operate and expand its programmes. The ECB has injected significant additional funding following SACA's proof of concept. ECB also facilitates partnerships with ACE and Take Her Lead, and supports PhD research initiatives at Birmingham City University.
• Pearn Kandola / Kandola+coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPearn Kandola is the Platinum Sponsor of SACA. Founded in 1984, they are a DEI-focused organisation with 40 years of experience. Kandola+ is their intelligent DEI learning platform. Their sponsorship supports SACA's mission to increase British South Asian representation in professional cricket.
• Birmingham City UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCU has been integral to SACA's development through funding of research underpinning the programme and granting use of sports facilities. BCU has placed a new onus on sports science and athlete development, demonstrated by its new state-of-the-art sports campus. Two PhDs at BCU investigate inclusive high-performance environments and socio-cultural barriers in women's cricket.
• Take Her LeadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTake Her Lead is a charity founded by former England International Cricketer Isa Guha. Their vision is for cricket to be a place where every woman and girl can fulfil their potential. SACA has partnered with BCU & Take Her Lead to initiate and part fund PhD research exploring reasons for low BSA female representation.
• ACE ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ACE Programme was launched by Surrey County Cricket Club and Ebony Rainford-Brent (MBE) in January 2020 in response to the decline of black British professional players. SACA has partnered with ACE to co-fund PhD research exploring inclusive elite high-performance environments within sport, aligning their shared vision of increasing representation of minority groups across elite cricket.
• RemitlyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRemitly is a financial services company that has partnered with SACA, including sponsoring the Remitly Talent Hunt trial.
• MoonwalkrminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoonwalkr is a partner of SACA, providing support to the programme.
• Care NexusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCare Nexus is a partner of SACA, providing support to the programme.
• Lacuna SportsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLacuna Sports is a partner of SACA, providing support to the programme.
• Adil Rashid Cricket CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the Adil Rashid Cricket Centre in Bradford for the SACA North hub. Players travel from across the North of England to train twice a week at the centre.
• Warwickshire County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWarwickshire CCC is a partner for the SACA Midlands hub, providing facilities at Edgbaston for player training three times per week.
• Derbyshire County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDerbyshire CCC is a partner for the SACA Midlands hub, providing facilities for player training alongside Warwickshire CCC.
• Gloucestershire County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGloucestershire CCC is the partner for the SACA South West hub based at Bristol. Three players have moved to accommodation in Bristol to train full-time over the winter, accompanied by other players from the South West region.
• Dan Housego Cricket CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Housego Cricket Centre is the partner for the SACA South East hub based in Wokingham. Players travel from all over the south east and train twice a week using the facilities the centre offers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB): The ECB is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales and SACA's primary funder. While not a direct competitor, ECB runs its own diversity and inclusion initiatives (e.g., South Asian Action Plan) that overlap with SACA's mission, making it a relevant ecosystem participant.
• Chance to Shine: Chance to Shine is a UK cricket charity that supports grassroots cricket in schools and communities. While focused on broader participation rather than elite pathway development, it shares SACA's charitable model and ECB-funded mission to grow cricket's reach among underrepresented groups.
• Lord's Taverners: Lord's Taverners is a UK cricket charity that supports young people, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, through cricket. It shares SACA's model of using cricket as a vehicle for social impact and widening access to the professional game.

Others

• National Counties Cricket Association: The NCCA governs recreational county cricket in England and is a feeder pathway into the professional game. SACA's placement in fixtures against county 2nd XIs and 1st XIs positions it within the NCCA-to-first-class pipeline, making it a relevant ecosystem reference point.
• Surrey County Cricket Club: Surrey CCC is a first-class county that hosts the ACE Programme and is a destination for SACA graduates (e.g., Nikhil Gorantla). It is both a SACA partner and the operator of a competing academy pathway, making it a directly relevant ecosystem player.
• Warwickshire County Cricket Club: Warwickshire CCC hosts the SACA Midlands hub at Edgbaston and is a destination for SACA graduates (Zen Malik, Vansh Jani). As a first-class county with its own academy pathway, it is a key ecosystem partner/competitor for BSA talent.
• Yorkshire County Cricket Club: Yorkshire CCC is a destination for SACA graduates (Jafer Chohan) and a key county pathway that SACA funnels BSA players into. The Yorkshire cricket pathway's well-documented BSA inclusion challenges make it a highly relevant recipient of SACA's intervention work.

Direct peers

• Take Her Lead: Take Her Lead is a charity founded by former England cricketer Isa Guha that SACA actively partners with on the Women's programme. Both organisations address underrepresentation in cricket, with SACA focused on BSA athletes and Take Her Lead focused on women and girls more broadly.
• ACE Programme: The ACE Programme, launched by Surrey CCC and Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE in 2020, addresses parallel ethnic minority under-representation in cricket (focused on Black British players). SACA explicitly partners with ACE on co-funded PhD research, making it a directly comparable mission-aligned peer in the same talent-development niche.

Emerging players

• Cricket Without Boundaries: Cricket Without Boundaries is a UK-based charity that uses cricket to drive social change in Africa and the UK. While focused on broader community development, it shares SACA's model of cricket as a tool for social impact and inclusion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SACAUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/saca.cricket
• TikToktiktok.com/@saca.cricket
• Xx.com/SACAUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southasiancricketacademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Asian Cricket Academy