Geneva, 3 October 2026 – Cricket Switzerland has taken an important step towards making cricket education more accessible and aligned with the multilingual nature of Switzerland by delivering its first dual-language course in French and English in Geneva.
The course brought together 19 participants and five tutors and was designed to provide instruction in both French and English, allowing participants to engage with the course content in the language in which they felt most comfortable.
Supporting Multilingual Approach
Switzerland is a multilingual country, with French, German, Italian and Romansh recognised as national languages. For Cricket Switzerland, embracing this linguistic diversity is increasingly important as the sport continues to strengthen its position within the Swiss sporting landscape.
The initiative also supports the principles and expectations of Swiss Olympic, which encourages sporting organisations to provide education and development opportunities across Switzerland’s linguistic regions.
For a relatively small national federation, delivering education in multiple languages presents a significant organisational challenge. However, Cricket Switzerland believes that this investment is essential to building a credible, inclusive and sustainable sporting structure as cricket continues its integration into the wider Swiss sports system.
A New Approach to Coach Education
The Geneva course was part of Cricket Switzerland’s local coaching education pathway and serves as a prerequisite for participants wishing to attend the ICC Level 1 face-to-face coaching course.
The experience demonstrated the value of adapting coach education to the needs of participants. Approximately half of the participants felt more confident engaging with the material in French than in English, reinforcing the importance of providing education in local languages wherever possible.
While English remains the principal language of international cricket, Cricket Switzerland sees considerable potential in developing a network of tutors capable of delivering courses bilingually.
The federation’s longer-term objective is therefore to train and develop tutors who can deliver coaching and officiating education in two languages, depending on the needs of participants.
This approach could also provide a model for other European cricket nations. As cricket continues to develop within national sporting structures, other countries may increasingly face similar expectations from their respective Olympic and sporting authorities.
Looking Towards a Multilingual Future
Cricket Switzerland plans to build on the success of the Geneva initiative. The next target is to deliver a course in English and German, extending the dual-language approach into the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
Italian remains another important objective. With cricket now established in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland through the federation’s growing club network, Cricket Switzerland hopes to develop the capacity to offer education in Italian in the near future.
Delivering multilingual courses is not without its challenges. Course preparation, terminology, tutor coordination and, particularly, the timing and pace of delivery all require careful planning when working across two languages.
Nevertheless, the Geneva experience demonstrated that these challenges can be overcome when the course is designed around the needs of the participants.
A Successful First Step
The response from participants and tutors was extremely positive. All 19 participants and five tutors embraced the opportunity to be part of this first-of-its-kind course for Cricket Switzerland.
The successful delivery of the Geneva course marks more than just another coaching education event. It represents an important step towards creating a truly Swiss approach to cricket education – one that recognises the country’s linguistic diversity while maintaining strong links with ICC standards and international cricket.
Cricket Switzerland will continue to develop this approach as part of its broader commitment to education, coach development and the professionalisation of cricket across the country.
From Geneva to the rest of Switzerland, cricket education is becoming more accessible, inclusive and Swiss.
