Establish a ladies cricket team
3
The Pitch
Problem statement
We are a village cricket club with 5 adult men’s teams, 5 junior teams consisting of boys and girls aged from U9-U17; however we currently do not have a women’s team. Women’s cricket is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and we have seen an increase in the number of girls joining our junior teams. However when the girls turn 18, they tend to leave us to go to other clubs where women’s cricket is well established. We have also seen an increase in families joining the cricket club and many mums have asked why we don’t offer a chance for women to play like their children and husbands can!
Solution
We aim to establish a women’s cricket team to encourage more women from our local community to get active and enjoy the many benefits to physical, mental and social health that cricket can offer. Funding would be spent on: - a free cricket taster evening for women, to come along and give cricket a try, including a BBQ and refreshments; - training for a minimum of two women to undertake their coaching badges and be trained as coaches; - coaching kit for a women’s soft ball team (bats, balls, stumps) - club kit (playing shirts) for the team to wear when playing in matches and festivals.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We are a local village cricket club, having been established for over 200 years. We have a thriving junior and adult male set-up. All of our adult teams are affiliated to the Hampshire Cricket Board and we hold ClubMark status, showing that our club is well-run, inclusive and safe. We have 10x ECB trained coaches, who are all safeguarding trained and DBS checked. Several of our existing coaches have said that they would support our women’s team by training them until some of the women are able to be trained.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Get in to Cricket taster evening consisting of fun drills and training run by existing male coaches, a free BBQ and refreshments. | £400 |
| Training for a minimum of 2 women to undertake coaching training to become qualified coaches | £300 |
| Coaching / playing equipment: bats, soft balls, stumps | £300 |
| Subsidised playing kit - minimum of 20x club shirts, offered at half price to women joining our team/club. | £400 |
| Advertising for Get into Cricket event: leaflet / poster printing for display in local shops, schools, door-to-door leaflet drop | £100 |
Beneficiaries
100 people
Expected impact
Establishment of a women’s cricket team at our club, providing an opportunity for women in the local community to play cricket in a fun, social environment and providing an opportunity for our existing junior girls to continue playing cricket when they turn 18. Benefits to the women who join for their physical and mental health, as well as opportunities for social interaction and fun. Opportunity for women to get involved and enjoy the same sport as their children and husbands/partners. Benefits to the club as a whole, with women becoming actively involved in the club and taking up other roles and responsibilities, such as Committee roles and other roles integral to the running of the club (advertising, website / social media, organising social events etc..)