OM MATT FEATHERSTONE AWARDED OBE FOR SERVICES TO CRICKET

Old Millfieldian, Matt Featherstone, has been honoured with an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours for his outstanding contributions to cricket. The OBE is the second-highest rank within the Order of the British Empire and recognises significant achievements and service to the community.

Matt attended Millfield Senior School from 1983-1988 and has since built a remarkable career. After his time as a professional cricketer with Kent, he moved to Brazil in 2000, where he played for - and later captained - the Brazil national cricket team. His passion for growing the game soon expanded beyond playing, as he became a central figure in developing the sport across the country.

His work led to the founding of Cricket Brazil, based in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais. The organisation was born out of a desire to foster a culture of inclusivity through sport, offering opportunities to young people regardless of background or circumstance. Since its inception, Cricket Brazil has grown exponentially, now reaching over 5,000 children through grassroots programs - many of them girls. Remarkably, all 14 of Brazil’s contracted professional cricketers are women, and the organisation fields national youth teams that compete across the region.

The impact of Cricket Brazil extends beyond the pitch. The town of Poços de Caldas has become a cricketing stronghold, with the local mayor noting that more children now play cricket than football. Further advancing the sport’s reach, the Cricket Brazil University Program offers scholarships that allow young athletes to access higher education while developing careers in cricket, including coaching and sports leadership.

Reflecting on his time at Millfield, Matt said:

“I loved every day I spent at Millfield; from that first moment of nervous arrival at Butleigh, to the final goodbye 5 years later, on the lawn in front of Millfield house. I was always aware that I was enjoying a privilege and was determined to make the most of it.
 

Getting an OBE was nowhere in the plan and now I feel honoured and surprised, to find my name on a list of so many talented people. I was not one of the most academic of students. Willing, keen to learn, but no more than average when it came to exams. People develop at differing stages and University allowed me to play ‘catch up’ in graduate and post-graduate qualifications.

Millfield was more than just a stepping-stone to academia. It gave me a confidence and belief that I could achieve, and it is that which will continue, now and into the future. It set standards of performance and personal conduct in equal measure, and it is that which I have been able to pass on to young people in Brazil; people who have none of the privileges enjoyed by children in the U.K.

So, thanks to all those who persevered to transmit, sometimes subliminally, those lasting values of fairness, respect, personal dignity and the inestimable value of all human beings.”

Matt’s work has not only transformed the perception of cricket in Brazil but has also created life-changing opportunities for young people through sport and education. His OBE is a richly deserved recognition of a mission that continues to inspire.

We extend our warmest congratulations to Matt and look forward to seeing Cricket Brazil continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead.