Cricket nets are straightforward. You string them up, you practice your batting and bowling. But what if you could do a lot more with nets than that?

That's the idea behind the new nets at Torquay Cricket Club in the UK. And you could easily follow their example.

Like many teams, the club have ambitions and want the best facilities.So they have been looking into nets. But rather than just throw up some netting they have decided to get clever. The planned nets are taking the latest coaching advice and are made up of a large area where the nets can be rolled back.

Why are they doing this?

Better cricket nets

The reasons are all in the headline: An open space is just as useful, if not better, that having nets. As we have pointed out before on PitchVision Academy, nets can be smart or dumb. Sometimes you need to be smart and roll back the nets. Think about the benefits for younger players who go from getting 5 minutes batting against kids who bowl a wide every other ball, to learning techniques and skills in an open space.

When combined with an intelligently planned coaching structure, there is no doubt that the club will start a conveyor belt of cricketers for their adult teams and beyond.

We advise to keep this trend of mindful smart-cricket planning by installing PitchVision smart nets too.

But on top of this, the nets are designed to help the club make money; turning a big cost into profits that can be ploughed back into developing better players.The do this by allowing the area to work in multiple sports and hire it out to others like football teams. It can be used in the off season to make money instead of lying quiet.

Of course none of this innovation is cheap. But it is good value because the return in player development and club health will be huge.

Nevertheless, the club still need to raise funds to cover such a large upfront cost. And here is where you can help: The club are currently in the middle of fund-raising with various events, including an 24-hour net. You can find out more details by downloading their training schedule (pdf) or visiting the TCC Facebook page.

Is your club or Academy using the same mindful innovation?