Coloured Kit for Womens Cricket
The Pitch
Problem statement
Cricket has been a sport traditionally played in all-white clothing. Following feedback from our members, it is thought that wearing the traditional ‘Cricket Whites’ can put women off playing cricket whilst on their periods, or at all, due to this issue. This topic has been reported in the news recently and many clubs and sports are moving away from white clothing, such as at Wimbledon Tennis. However, we are aware that cost can also be a huge barrier to getting women into cricket, and therefore we need to make sure that any move towards coloured clothing is accessible for all.
Solution
We would like to spend the funding on ensuring that every woman that joins our club has their own coloured playing shirt and pair of cricket trousers. This will make Women’s cricket more inclusive and progressive at our club and ensure that each of our players feels comfortable to play cricket in whatever format and at whatever level they choose. Interest in Women’s cricket has never been stronger with the recent success of ‘The Hundred’ competition, and it is vital that we continue to ride on the crest of that wave and ensure that there are no barriers for women to join cricket!
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Each summer, we offer weekly sessions with a Level 2 coach and cater for all abilities, with all equipment provided. We have already made huge strides into reducing barriers for women getting into cricket, by funding two new ‘starter’ cricket kits for our new players to use – including helmets, right and left-handed gloves, universal batting pads, thigh pads and bats. In the last 10 years our diverse membership has roughly tripled, increasing rapidly in the last 3 years. We now run 2 league teams and offer plenty of non-league cricket such as inter-club games/friendlies. Providing coloured kit for all will further help to ensure Women’s cricket is inclusive and accessible for all.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| 42 x Coloured Playing shirts @ £25 each | £1,050 |
| 10 x Coloured Playing trousers @ £22 each (existing players have already - new players require) | £220 |
| 10x Sets of Coloured Cladding for pads (5 pairs for each team) @ £23 each | £230 |
Beneficiaries
40 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
We expect the outcome of the project to be hugely positive. We expect the coloured clothing to be very popular with our existing members, who will be extremely appreciative that it is being provided without significant additional cost. We hope that new players wanting to try cricket will come down and see that all the coaching, equipment and clothing is provided at our club, and that there are no barriers for new players to join – we really do cater for all! We hope that players won’t be deterred from playing cricket due to the previously mentioned issues surrounding white clothing. Continuing the success of previous years, we hope to grow our membership by another 5-15 new players next year, and we expect around 40-45 members will benefit overall.