Your Child's Free First Junior Cricket Session: How It Works

Signing a child up for a new sport can feel like a leap. Will they enjoy it? Is the coaching any good? Will they fit in? That’s exactly why Elite Cricket Academy offers new juniors a free first junior group session at both our Melbourne centres, Hoppers Crossing and Pakenham.

Here’s how it works, step by step.

Who it’s for

The free first session is for new juniors aged 5 to 12, boys and girls, whether they’ve never held a bat or already play club cricket. It’s one free session per new player, in one of our regular junior squads.

Please note it’s a group session. We don’t offer free one-to-one sessions. If you’re interested in private coaching, you can book a free 15-minute assessment with a coach instead (more on that below).

Step 1: Book online

Pick your centre and book in a couple of minutes:

• Free first session at Hoppers Crossing
• Free first session at Pakenham

You’ll create a parent account in our booking app, add your child, and choose a squad time. At Hoppers Crossing, squads run on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. At Pakenham, squads run on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Step 2: Turn up ready to play

Your child needs comfortable sports clothes, runners and a water bottle. That’s it. If they have their own bat or gear, bring it along. If they don’t, tell the coach when you arrive.

Aim to arrive about ten minutes early so the coach can say hello, ask about any previous cricket, and settle your child in.

Step 3: The session itself

Junior sessions run for 90 minutes. A typical session includes a warm-up, skill stations for batting, bowling and fielding, and game-based activities that keep things fun and competitive. Coaches place each player in the group that suits their age and development, so a beginner won’t feel lost and an experienced junior will still be challenged.

You’re welcome to stay and watch.

Step 4: Decide what’s next

After the session, have a chat with the coach. They’ll tell you how your child went and which squad would suit them. If your child loved it, you can enrol in a regular squad straight from the booking app:

• Hoppers Crossing: $235 a month for one session a week, $435 for two (incl. GST)
• Pakenham: $212 a month for one session a week, $419 for two (incl. GST)

There’s no obligation. If cricket isn’t for your child, that’s completely fine.

What a squad includes

Every junior squad player at Elite gets experienced, qualified premier coaching, a fitness plan, a diet plan and access to Pathfinder, our online platform with coach notes, skill ratings and session video. Juniors who keep developing also have an international pathway through Elite’s Chennai centre and VECL’s partnership with the Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) in Bengaluru.

Interested in one-to-one coaching instead?

If your child would benefit from private coaching, book a free 15-minute assessment with one of our coaches through the booking app. The coach will look at where your child is now and recommend the right next step.

Questions?

Call Hoppers Crossing on 0485 043 094 or Pakenham on 0485 043 092. We’d love to see your child at training.