Club representatives attended a Cricket Scotland Club Information Online Forum on Wednesday 1st April. These forums are opportunities for senior leaders within clubs, particularly captains, to engage with Cricket Scotland’s Senior Leadership Team, ask questions and receive the appropriate information to ensure a successful and smooth 2026 season.

Cricket Scotland (CS) outlined updates to the Code of Conduct, the first changes since its inception in 2023. Expectations around cooperation in investigations have been strengthened, with CS now empowered to enforce compliance, and Level 2 cases shifting to regional management. CS may intervene if clubs fail to uphold standards or the spirit of cricket, with a strong emphasis on respect and club‑level responsibility for behaviour. Clubs should appoint a Conduct Officer and ensure their own code of conduct is visible and understood and liaise with CS - that splits across our Secretary and Disciplinary Office roles.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) e‑learning was introduced as a key tool for strengthening inclusion across Scottish cricket. Two short accredited modules cover unconscious bias, inclusive language and the role of captains, coaches and administrators as culture‑setters. Module 1 is for players, volunteers, parents etc, whilst Module 2 is for captains, coaches etc. Everyone associated with our club is advised to complete the relevant module if they can - should take about 25 minutes. As accredited learning this helps strengthen our clubs evidence base of following good practice, though it was noted that such certificates and qualifications cannot be uploaded to the new PlayHQ registration system. This means we will reinstate our previous internal volunteer tracker to help evidence such compliance, but we can email such certificates CS for them to upload to PlayHQ on our behalf.

PlayHQ migration continues, with fixtures being uploaded regionally and the club admin portal now active. Registration issues remain common particularly in getting past the fees stage (recommendation is to refresh the page, try again, or come again another day), but all players must register and be assigned to teams to play competitive cricket. The CSPlay app should be available soon and will provide CSLive‑style information, and junior cricket may adopt short‑score, private‑listing approach there too.

Domestically, cup draws have been published and it was noted the national safeguarding audit is close to completion, with spot checks expected. Clubs may receive recommendations for improvement, and reminder given that PVG compliance is essential for anyone working with juniors or vulnerable adults. Regional Development Officers (RDOs) are active across all regions, and junior planning should be tailored locally, supported by community programmes such as Chance to Shine.

Cricket Scotland also highlighted the new Members Survey results published Wednesday 1 April, the Toyota Good for Cricket Prize Draw now live and increased support for clubs in digital media approaches offered by Cricket Scotland. Clubs are encouraged to use live streaming, photography, match clips etc, while ensuring responsible use of social platforms.

Otherwise, key message is about the responsibility on us all to create a positive atmosphere through our own conduct and encourage others to do likewise.