The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Metro Bank have committed to tripling the number of girls' cricket teams in England and Wales.
The two organizations will collaborate to enhance access to grassroots cricket by recruiting 6,000 volunteers to expand girls' cricket. The goal is to establish 2,000 clubs with a girls' section and 6,000 girls' teams by 2026.
The announcement came after the record-breaking Metro Bank Women's Ashes, which drew a crowd of 110,000 to watch the England Women's cricket team. This announcement builds on the momentum generated in women's cricket, following the recent news that England Women's match fees would be increased to match those of England Men's.
The joint funding will see Metro Bank, the ECB's patron of women's cricket, and the ECB, as well as the broader cricket network, make an important contribution to cricket's ambition to become the most inclusive team sport in the UK.
Before the 2024 season, the England Women's cricket team will use insights and data from across the game to maximize the reach of the funding. England Women's cricket team will listen to female players, coaches, volunteers, and Women's and Girls' Cricket Development Officers.
The goal is to inspire more girls to play cricket and see confident women and girls in thriving cricket communities, empowered to reach their full potential in sport and beyond.
To aid the growth of women's and girls' football, that increased coaching support is required. This is particularly important because the clubs looking to establish a girls' section. The goal is to recruit, train, support and celebrate up to six thousand coaches and volunteers dedicated to the women's and girls' game by 2026.
Coaches and volunteers have a crucial role in creating inclusive environments and actively promoting the sport to girls. Each coach has a personal impact on the lives of at least fifteen girls. It is important for girls to see more women in cricket to believe that they too can take up the sport.
Clare Connor, ECB deputy chief executive, stated that the success of the Metro Bank Women's Ashes 2024 summer, in terms of both the England teams' performance and ticket sales, was unprecedented and showed what is possible. The investment of the Metro Bank is a commitment to accelerate the growth of grassroots cricket. This will provide more opportunities for young girls to experience cricket, feel included and valued in the sport, and perhaps one day follow in the footsteps of this summer's Ashes heroes.
The ODIs aim to replicate the triumph of the recent Women's Ashes, which drew a record attendance of 110k, 4.5 times higher than the 2019 Ashes series, and was broadcast to 5.3m viewers, more than double the number in 2019. Additionally, it was the first England Women's ODI series to sell out.