Women get chance to shine

14 April 2008

Charlotte Edwards is one of eight players to win a Chance to Shine deal © Getty Images

The Cricket Foundation, in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board, has announced that it will offer eight Chance to shine coaching contracts to members of the England women’s team.

Captain Charlotte Edwards along with Rosalie Birch, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Danielle Hazell, Katherine Brunt and Nicky Shaw have all been offered the contracts which will see them taking up coaching and ambassadorial roles within the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to shine programme.

Jenny Gunn and Lydia Greenway have also been offered contracts which they will take up on their return from Australia.

The Cricket Foundation contracts offer the players 25 hours coaching a week and last for eight months of the year.

Edwards, Rainford-Brent, Hazell and Brunt have been offered the full 25-hour contracts while Shaw has opted for a part-time contract to coincide with her work with Loughborough UCCE.

Rosalie Birch will combine 15 hours of coaching with 10 hours of PR work for the Chance to shine scheme.

Wasim Khan, operations director for Chance to shine, said: “We are delighted to have secured the coaching services of the England women cricketers who will be a real asset to the Chance to shine programme.

“Last year saw 43,000 girls participating in the scheme and with the involvement of the England Women, we’ll have every opportunity to build on this success.”

The women will deliver coaching sessions within Chance to shine schools, assist in developing girls’ sections at clubs and support local competition structures.

The coaching contracts are twofold in that they support the players financially as well as providing them with enough time to train and concentrate on their playing career.

They will raise the profile of both the players and the sport and will ultimately add longevity to their careers as international cricketers.

The players will spend the first week establishing their roles and meeting people on site visits within the scheme, before kicking off with earnest on Monday April 21. Gunn and Greenway will start on Monday April 28.