Cricket Australia and CoachMate launch Big Bash Schools Challenge: connecting classroom, home and club
Melbourne/Auckland – The Big Bash Schools Challenge marks a new era for how children experience sport in schools and at home- connecting learning, movement and fandom in one dynamic experience.
Built in partnership between Cricket Australia and CoachMate, the platform digitises and reimagines the popular Mascot Challenge, bringing the colour and excitement of the KFC Big Bash League (BBL) and Weber Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) into classrooms and homes across Australia.
Optimised for desktop, web app and tablet, it enables teachers to run four weeks of flexible, activity-based sessions during class warm-ups, brain breaks or PE lessons. The programme builds fundamental movement skills and supports classroom learning, helping teachers easily deliver fun activities that make cricket accessible to every child.
A First-of-its-Kind Experience on the CoachMate Platform
The Big Bash Schools Challenge is the first-of-its-kind product on the CoachMate platform, extending CoachMate’s reach from community sport into the classroom.
By linking classroom activity with home engagement and community participation, it creates a connected experience that helps children move, learn and play. In class, students explore cricket-themed activities that combine numeracy and movement. At home, they enter a gamified Big Bash world where they choose a Big Bash mascot, complete daily challenges and are incentivised with gamified rewards.
This journey from school to home to club builds confidence and motivation. It also provides a clear, fun pathway into community programmes like Woolworths Cricket Blast, helping children and families take their next step into the game.
Motivation through Gamification
Students earn XP, skill badges and tickets to customise their mascots, moving through levels and unlocking rewards. Schools and classes compete on national, state and Big Bash team leaderboards for prizes such as Woolworths vouchers, Weber BBQs and signed Cricket Australia team merchandise.
Fifteen team mascots appear as animated avatars, transforming the classroom into the Big Bash arena and connecting children to the sport through movement, colour and play.
Insight and Innovation for Cricket Australia
The platform delivers valuable data and insights for Cricket Australia, connecting school engagement with community participation for the first time. These insights help Cricket Australia understand which activities resonate most, where participation is strongest, and how best to support families as they take the next step into Cricket Blast and local club cricket.
With overall cricket engagement up 5.5% according to the 2024 Cricket Australia Census, the Big Bash Schools Challenge represents a new way to use technology and design to grow the game by meeting young Australians where they learn and play.
Kieran McMillan, Head of Customer Experience at Cricket Australia, said:
“At Cricket Australia we understand that every child’s earliest experience of our game can make all the difference. The Big Bash Schools Challenge gives teachers easy-to-use, curriculum-aligned resources that build their confidence to deliver fun and engaging movement activities in the classroom.
The addition of a gamified at-home experience makes learning feel like play - connecting families, encouraging basic skill development and fostering a lifelong love of cricket. It’s another example of our commitment to using innovation and technology to make cricket more accessible, engaging and relevant for the next generation.”
Michelle Walshe, CEO and Co-Founder of CoachMate, said:
“We built this with Cricket Australia from the ground up. The brief was simple: make it easy for teachers, joyful for kids and something families can share at home.
If it feels like Big Bash in the classroom and helps children step confidently into Cricket Blast on the weekend, we’ve done our job.”
Looking ahead
The Big Bash Schools Challenge first hit Australian classrooms in Terms 3 and 4 of 2025 and will continue to expand nationally through 2026. Tens of thousands of students are expected to take part, helping shape the future of how sport connects education, family and community.