Next month, Under-15s teams from around the world will travel to Millfield School in Somerset to compete at the first Apex International Cricket Festival, hosted by Sir Andrew Strauss OBE and Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE.
Teams from South Africa, Namibia and around the UK, including Scarborough College, have signed up for the inaugural competition, and everyone who has played a part in bringing the idea to reality recently came together to celebrate its success so far.
The festival, which takes place from Sunday 29th June – Wednesday 2nd July, aims to go beyond being just a cricket tournament. Founders Max Rusling and Ed Clews are intent on ensuring lifelong connections are made between all participants, and that the children are equipped with skillsets that benefit them in every aspect of life.
Apex ambassadors and cricket legends Strauss and Rainford-Brent were in attendance at the recent launch event and gave inspiring speeches around their excitement to be involved with the festival and their motivations for joining this groundbreaking new initiative.
Strauss said: “The things that I remember from my playing career are the people I've met from different walks of life and the experiences I've had. That's why this festival really excites me because it is about sport, but it's also linking to the life opportunities outside of cricket and how it helps the majority of people who aren't going to make it professionally
"This is absolutely the right start for me and I'm delighted to play a part in that."
Rainford-Brent commented: “I'm delighted to be on board, and I'm really excited to see the impact by the young people, and also for the young people, through organisations like the MCC Foundation and Bat For A Chance.
“When you see young people driving the vision who have been there and done it themselves, like Apex’s founders, it really hit home to me that this is something being driven incredibly. I want to thank Apex and the guys, I'm so excited to be an ambassador.”
In addition to the high-quality cricket on display, the young players in attendance will learn valuable life skills at the festival thanks to sessions with leading wellbeing coaches.
Former combat helicopter pilot Sarah Furness will teach the youngsters techniques to handle pressure, which will be as pertinent in the exam hall as on the cricket field, whilst life coach Richard Shorter will help the players capitalise on the strengths that make them stand out.
Friendships, a sense of belonging, building a network and providing access to opportunities for the young participants were highlighted as key reasons for the introduction of Apex by its founders, who are both in their early 20s.
At the launch event, Clews explained: "Apex is about learning from each other and understanding different backgrounds.
“It's also about supporting those, who like I once did, dream about becoming professional cricketers but may not be able fulfil that. Our commitment to everyone that walks through our door is that we'll provide them with ongoing, meaningful opportunities that extend beyond the pitch.
"The world of opportunities out there is limited for 15 year-olds unless they're presented with them. We want to showcase the vast sea of opportunities that these kids might not have seen, and it's exactly what I'm excited for this summer."
It is these factors that make all involved with the festival believe it is something new, exciting and genuinely different – and Apex already has plans in place for competitions in 2026 and 2027.
It has also partnered with two notable cricket charities: Bat For A Chance, which aims to help underprivileged children experience the joys of cricket, and the MCC Foundation, whose work looks to preserve the long-term future of the sport.
Representatives from each charity discussed their excitement for the first and future festivals at the launch event, as did tournament sponsors Titan Wealth who are providing internships and work placements to participating players.
The inaugural competition starts on Sunday 29th June 2025, keep up to date with everything Apex at apex-festival.com.