By Leshia Hawkins, Managing Director, Recreational Game, ECB
Today marks the launch of the next phase of This Girl Can, the award-winning campaign that has transformed how women and girls see themselves in sport and physical activity. At the ECB, we’re proud to support its message: that there is no single “right” way to move, and that joy, belonging, and community are what really matter.
The numbers tell a powerful story. Right across England & Wales, cricket is growing – and it’s women and girls driving much of that growth.
As of the 1st of September 2025, just shy of 42,000 total teams had competed this season, compared with 40,000 at the same point last year. The strongest growth has come in the women’s (+18% vs end August 2024) and girls’ (+13% vs August 2024) game.
From July 2024 to August 2025, the number of clubs with a girls’ section has risen from 888 to 1,102, while those with a women’s section have increased from 1,324 to 1,539. Girls’ teams have grown from 2,176 to 2,772, and women’s teams from 2,405 to 2,952 in the same period.
In short, the game is changing: nearly 600 new girls’ teams and 550 new women’s teams so far this year alone. This is on top of the 1,000 new women’s and girls’ teams we celebrated at the end of 2024.
But this phenomenal growth isn’t by chance. It’s the result of thousands of volunteers, clubs and communities working hard to make cricket welcoming and accessible to everyone. Soft ball festivals, tapeball tournaments in local parks, and new community hubs are offering women and girls more routes than ever before into the game – no matter their background, experience, or confidence.
Cricket has a unique ability to bring people together, whether that’s a group of mums discovering our sport at a soft ball festival, or teenage girls building friendships and resilience through their first league season. The game offers not just physical activity, but a sense of belonging – and that aligns perfectly with the aims of This Girl Can.
The new “We Like the Way You Move” strand of This Girl Can calls on women to start with just ten minutes of movement – whether that’s a walk in the park, dancing with friends, or picking up a bat for the first time. At the ECB, we would love cricket to be one of those joyful options.
We know that for many women, barriers like confidence, cost, time or past experiences can get in the way of physical activity. That’s why we’re working with clubs and partners to make sure the game feels truly inclusive: adapting formats, training coaches, and celebrating the many different ways cricket can fit into women’s lives.
The momentum is with us. With nearly 6,000 women’s and girls’ teams now playing, we are committed to continuing to open doors, break down barriers, and show more women and girls that cricket is for them.
So, as This Girl Can reminds us all: it doesn’t matter how you move, only that you do. We like the way you move – and we’d love you to move with us.
Find your way to play, here: https://www.ecb.co.uk/play/women-and-girls
Find out more about This Girl Can here: https://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/move