Founded in 2017, the Bangladesh Community Association of Nova Scotia (BDCANS) has been committed to fostering community unity and understanding through sports, mainly cricket.
Over the last couple of years, BDCANS has organized various cricket tournaments in the formats of T-20 and T-10 for ages 16 and up throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Last year, they arranged the T-20 Asian Cup at Don Bayer Sports field, which saw six teams participate and more than 100 players attend.
Initially, the organization played at Maybank Sports Fields but changed to Don Bayer Sports Field through support from HRM. The organization was able to expand to Cole Harbor All Weather Field through the purchase of a Flicx pitch. A Flicx pitch is a portable artificial cricket pitch that allows teams to utilize sports fields or ball diamonds as cricket pitches.
“Through Sport Nova Scotia, we connected with a club in Lunenburg that has a Flicx Pitch and traveled down to see it,” said Golam Kibria, council member of Bangladesh Community Association of Nova Scotia. “Once we decided that was our direction, we met virtually with Flicx Pitch and, through funding from Sport Nova Scotia, were able to purchase the pitch.”
Acquiring the pitch allowed the organization to expand to Cole Harbour All Weather Field, allowing more teams to access it and more people to participate in the sport. While the program runs mainly out of Dartmouth, players have come from as far as Lunenburg and Cape Breton to participate.
“Without the help from Sport Nova Scotia, it would not have been possible for us to buy the Flicx Pitch and shed last year,” said Golam. “Without the pitch and shed, we would not have been able to play at the Cole Harbour field, which has brought various communities of people together through the sport.”
While there have been hurdles to overcome, the community has shown support in various ways, contributing to the success of the tournaments and bringing people together. The organization hosted a cricket festival where players and families came together to learn how to play.
This summer, the group plans to host T-20 and T-10 tournaments. For those interested in attending, volunteering, or learning more about the program, email admin@bdcans.com. To stay current on upcoming programming or to register, head to their website.
The success of the Bangladesh Community Association of Nova Scotia’s cricket program was made possible by Sport Nova Scotia’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility grant. Check out our Sport Fund eligibility for more information about how Sport Nova Scotia can support your community sport initiative
