Making a donation: Ko-fi, Cricket Yorkshire & you

Since it began in 2011, cricketyorkshire.com has covered an enormous range of people, places, matches and topics.

Interviews with some of the world’s best players rub shoulders with stories of village cricketers, incredible feats and in-depth analysis on club cricket.

Cricket Yorkshire is here to show you the remarkable people and places involved in the recreational game.

But, it’s a business, not a hobby.

In fact, that has to be the most common question I get asked:

‘What really? This is your JOB?! There’s almost always a pause. Then, ‘That’s a great job…’

It is. I am literally in my perfect job but it’s a balancing act between doing something very niche (how much grassroots cricket coverage is there and is it increasing?) and making it pay the bills.

The best way to monetise a website that champions the recreational game is a conundrum, and I work with commercial partners and sponsored articles as a way to offset the costs and the thousands of hours I put into writing, web design, photography and social media.

Readers are used to mountains of free online content and Cricket Yorkshire will always be free.

However, as a creator, I want the articles and photos to be the focus, not hidden within a wall of adverts that slows the site and frustrates the visitor.

I’m proud to work with a selection of partners every year – but they have to be relevant and reputable.

From Yorkshire Tea to Pitchero and Payntr to FrogBox, they’re partners I’m proud to work with, and they’ve provided competitions, prizes and deals throughout the year.

I try to do things differently. No repeated Google adverts throughout the article, pop-ups, surveys or dubious content crammed at the bottom.

But that approach – of curation and quality – brings challenges, which is why I’m reaching out to you, the reader.

If you think what I do is important and has a value, I’d appreciate it if you consider supporting Cricket Yorkshire by “buying me a ko-fi” (a bit of a pun on buying me a coffee); it’s like a tip or a financial thumbs-up.

It might be we’ve visited your cricket club this summer, taken photos of a match, debated a topic you found interesting or showed you an area of the game you didn’t know about.

It will go towards the usual costs associated with running a website business from newsletter provider to hosting.

It can be a one-off or whenever you enjoy a particular article or match photography. All you need to do is buy me a coffee (we’ll pretend it’s a Yorkshire Tea) where you can donate sums of £3 (or more) via Paypal – and feel free to leave a message so I know which article you read or what you enjoyed.

I will continue to champion grassroots cricket and share the stories that deserve a wider audience.

Wherever you are in the world, thanks for your support, it’s always appreciated!

Best wishes, John.