I first became involved in cricket in the same way many women do; standing on the boundary at Endon Cricket Club in Staffordshire watching my children play junior cricket. Before long, I was helping with scoring, volunteering around the club, playing the softball festivals and eventually joining the management committee around four years ago. I’m also now a Level 2 qualified coach and today, I’m proud to play an active role in helping grow women’s and girls’ cricket within our club and local community.
Since becoming involved, I’ve seen first-hand the impact that greater female representation can have within a cricket club. By bringing more women into decision-making and coaching roles, we’ve helped create a more inclusive, family-focused environment that has increased female participation and opportunities and we have girls excelling in both girls and mixed junior and senior cricket.
In just four years, our club has grown from one women’s team to three, including two hardball teams, alongside establishing four girls’ teams. Seeing whole families involved in cricket together - mums, dads and children - has been incredibly rewarding.
Cricket is also deeply personal to me. My dad played cricket when he was younger, but at that time clubs weren’t as family-friendly and the commitment made it difficult to continue once he had children. Sadly, I lost him around ten years ago, before I started playing myself. I often think how much I would have loved him to watch me play and see how welcoming clubs can now be for families and women.
What drives me most is creating opportunities for women and girls to experience the confidence, resilience, friendships and sense of belonging that sport can bring.
Cricket can be a game for everyone, just take that first step and get involved.