Inside Cricket to Conquer Cancer, Canada’s largest street cricket fundraiser.
By Angela Kryhul
The inaugural Cricket to Conquer Cancer united survivors, caregivers, athletes, celebrities and community supporters to raise more than $1.16 million for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. ASHNI RAMSAMMY manager, Cricket to Conquer Cancer and BRENDAN ENNIS, senior director, corporate and community partnerships, the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF), provide a behind-the-scenes look.
WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR A CRICKET FUNDRAISER COME FROM?
Brendan Ennis: We’re very grateful to have a partnership with Ethnicity Matters, an ethnic media marketing agency. They really opened our eyes to the changing face of Canada. It got us thinking and realizing that while the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is extremely diverse—we have doctors, researchers and patients from around the world—our donors were not.
Knowing that cricket is a passion point, we thought it was a great way to reach out to communities we hadn’t been speaking to in a meaningful and authentic way. It took us two years building new relationships before we announced Cricket to Conquer Cancer.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE STREET CRICKET FORMAT OVER TRADITIONAL CRICKET?
Brendan: Cricket appeals to people who grew up with it, the nostalgia of it, as well as people we affectionately call the ‘cricket curious.’ Street cricket is such a nice way to be introduced to the sport… and I think it helped the event to feel authentic.
HOW DID YOU BUILD AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES?
Ashni Ramsammy: It became very meaningful for me personally to help develop a new platform for the foundation… where it’s supported not just by the team members coming out for the event, it’s also their moms, their aunts, their brothers, their cousins. I think that’s what really fuelled the success of Cricket to Conquer in its first year: building that strong foundation of community support, tied in with a passion point and a very vital cause.
We were also mindful of how we included different cultures. The entertainment aspect featured a live DJ playing different music the entire day, dhol players representing the South Asian community, a tassa band representing the West Indian community and carnival dancers that welcomed our top 10 fundraisers. It became a cultural celebration as well.
HOW DID BUILDING CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT DIFFER FROM PMCF’S USUAL FUNDRAISERS?
Brendan: When we launched Cricket to Conquer Cancer in 2024, there were people who didn’t know us. But the fact that we were bringing cricket and the fundraising cause together was enough for them to want to support us. They understood immediately what we were trying to do, and that opened the door for us to showcase how research is dependent on philanthropy.
Part of our strategy was building awareness for the program with ethnic media organizations like Y Media Group. Interestingly enough, that’s where the traditional media started picking up on our event, because it was a very different approach for us.
We found that this event opened doors. It wasn’t just about sponsorship, it was corporate employee engagement. We even had some doctors and others who work at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre participating in a Princess Margaret event for the first time because it was cricket.
WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT YEAR?
Ashni: The cricket space had never seen an event like this. There was a lot of newness to how to execute the program fully. Some didn’t understand our format of street cricket, although they were familiar with the long form of cricket.
In our first year, we hosted four matches at 30 minutes each, but next year we’re looking to reduce the number of matches to three at 45 minutes each. We’ll have our top 10 [individual] fundraisers play versus our celebrity ambassadors, and we’ll buckle down on the rules so that they’re consistent across each game.
FAST FACTS
CRICKET TO CONQUER CANCER
MAY 31, 2025
Celebration Square, Mississauga, ON
• 500+ participants
• 40 corporate and community teams
• 160 volunteers
• $6,000 required to be raised per team
• $1.16 million raised in total
The 2nd Annual Cricket to Conquer Cancer takes place May 30, 2026.
“The Gupta Titans team raised over $212,000 for this event, which had all of our corporate partners and community leaders saying, ‘Oh, that’s what’s possible with this event?’ And that’s really helped set us up for year two to go bigger.” —Brendan Ennis
LESSONS LEARNED FROM YEAR ONE
• Establish a consistent set of rules for the event’s unique version of street cricket, based on feedback from the advisory committee and umpires.
• Develop a plan to clearly communicate event logistics and terminology to participants and donors.
• Incorporate more celebratory and cultural elements into the event experience.
Published October 2025
