Cricket Scotland praise for sport and exercise psychology trainee for her work with children

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Sport and Exercise Psychology Trainee Diya Valeja has received praise from our partners Cricket Scotland for her work with the Wicketz children’s programme.

Ahead of the ICC World Cup Qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe this month, the Scottish National Cricket Team helped launch the new Wicketz programme in Springburn Park, Glasgow. Diya has been on placement with Wicketz.

Wicketz is a cricket programme for young people aged 8-19, living in deprived communities. By establishing sustainable community cricket hubs, Cricket Scotland provides year-round weekly cricket sessions with a focus on breaking down barriers, developing crucial life skills, creating stronger communities and enabling brighter futures for those taking part.

Zain Muhammad, Wicketz Development Officer – Glasgow, said: "Our partnership with GCU has been fruitful so far, and Wicketz is proud to partner with the University to bring expertise to the project and support young people living in areas of multiple deprivations through weekly workshops. We are also proud to support Diya Valeja in her Sport and Exercise Psychology placement at our Wicketz hub.

"The visit from the Scottish National Cricket Team captain and national team players at our Wicketz hub in Springburn not only provided a thrilling experience for the kids, but also served as a powerful inspiration for their aspirations in cricket and beyond. To mark this special occasion, we invited GCU to commemorate our partnership in supporting young people through weekly workshops."

Diya was delighted to represent Glasgow Caledonian's School of Health and Life Sciences at the event and said that “working with Wicketz Glasgow has been an absolute pleasure”.

She said: “I think it was a wonderful opportunity for kids at the Wicketz hubs. Having role models as young people goes a long way in increasing sports participation and overall motivation. It was lovely to see the kids excited to interact with their favourite players and learn a few shots and techniques from them. The players seemed to be equally enthusiastic to be there and were very interactive. It was a pleasure for me to represent GCU at the event and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Working with Wicketz Glasgow as part of my Sport and Exercise Psychology Stage 1 placement has been an absolute pleasure. Seeing how enthusiastic the kids are to learn and grow motivates me to work harder.

“I have been conducting workshops with the kids on topics like Goal Setting and Confidence Building and seeing them be attentive and come up with the most interesting answers during the sessions has been rewarding. Their energy is contagious. I get to learn from them with every interaction.

“I am grateful to Dr Bryan McCann at GCU for giving me the opportunity and connecting me to Wicketz, and Zain Muhammad for his continuous support.”

Dr McCann, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and placement coordinator for the Sport and Exercise Psychology Doctorate Postgraduate degree at Glasgow Caledonian, said: “Diya has been doing a fantastic job on placement with Wicketz, applying her sport and exercise psychology skills and knowledge to support young people.

“Diya’s placement with Wicketz is another example of our strong partnership with Cricket Scotland and the ability of our trainees to make a positive contribution within the organisation and in line with GCU’s Common Good mission and principles.”

Photos show Diya conducting workshops with the Wicketz children, and celebrating the launch of the new programme with the Scottish National Cricket Team, Zain and the young Wicketz team.