Talking Accessibility and Sustainability with Saj Mahmood
By Chris Britt-Searle
Saj Mahmood playing for England in the 2006-7 Ashes series in Australia
Former England fast bowler, Saj Mahmood is on a mission: to make cricket affordable and accessible for everyone. To achieve this ambitious vision, he recently co-founded a new online marketplace: Reeqip - dedicated to giving pre-loved cricket and sports kit a new lease of life. We thought it was a great idea, so we sat down for a chat with Saj about liberating kit from attics, diverting it away from landfill and into the hands of the people who need it.
Since haning up his bowling boots, Saj has gone on to become an influential coach and is Head of Cricket at William Perkin School in Greenford, Greater London. The shocking decline in state school cricket is something he has witnessed first hand and he is determined to reverse. Alongside the day job, he runs the Saj Mahmood Cricket Academy, helping to shape the next generation of cricket stars, whatever their background.
One of the biggest barriers he sees for aspiring cricketers is that their parents often struggle to afford the prohibitive cost of kit, which can quickly spiral into hundreds of pounds. In the past it was much more common to share and borrow kit, but today’s kids, raised on social media and fast-fashion, simply have to have their own kit. Think what you will of that, but Saj said that the fact is kids are much more likely to stay in the game if they have their own kit. Therefore, making it more accessible and affordable is crucial if we’re ever going to widen participation.
“Ultimately, we want to make sport affordable to everyone,” Saj said. “If we can remove the cost barrier, we can unlock incredible potential – not just in elite pathways, but in local communities everywhere.”
Saj Mahmood made 26 ODI appearances for England and played in the 2007 World Cup
Sajid Iqbal Mahmood made his Test Debut against Sri Lanka at Lord’s back in 2006, taking five wickets in the match. Almost twenty years later, he was back at the iconic Home of Cricket for the launch of the Knight-Stokes Cup - a new national competition for state schools, with the inaugural final to take place at Lord’s in September 2026. Saj took part in a panel discussion at the event:
“Sitting on that panel at Lord’s, discussing participation and the future of cricket, I left asking myself a simple question: What would really increase numbers participating? When I thought about the biggest barrier to entry, one issue stood out – the cost of cricket equipment. That’s when Reeqip was born.”
One of the added bonuses of re-using and extending the life of kit is that it is a far more sustainable model. In the UK alone, an incredible 100,000 tonnes of sports kit is thrown away every year - largely ending up in landfills or incinerators. That’s the equivalent of nearly 1000 sports shirts every minute.
Saj said that a lot of the parents he speaks to are interested in sustainability, so providing families with perfectly good used kit at affordable prices is a win-win. It’s also an important angle for some of the brands who have partnered with Reeqip to provide end-of-line or refurbed kit at discounted prices, such as Neon and Matador.
Ultimately, Saj’s goal is for Reeqip to become a household name - the go to place for anyone looking for affordable sports kit - therefore becoming a driving force behind increasing participation in all sports, not just cricket. You can give him a hand by having a rummage in your cupboards for those unused bits of kit that could be just what the next budding sports star is looking for.
“We as individuals have a responsibility - if we have kit lying around not being used - that could be an opportunity for somebody else.”
It was great to speak with Saj, and we at The Next Test applaud his efforts to make sport more accessible and sustainable.
You can both buy and sell pre-loved sports gear now, at www.reeqip.com. A portion of the proceeds generated through the platform will go toward raising funds for charity, helping to donate unused sports equipment, support underprivileged communities and fund grassroots initiatives.
www.reeqip.com
