Young female cricketers in Wales are set to benefit from a funding scheme that has delivered transformative roadshows across the country.
The Women & Girls Roadshows connected volunteers, players, and club representatives, with experienced figures sharing insights to help develop the women's game within Wales.
Roadshow Events and Speakers
Glamorgan Women's Head Coach Rachel Priest and Head of Women & Girls' Cricket Aimee Rees both spoke to attendees at events held over a fortnight at Rydal School and Pentre Awel, as part of the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund's rollout.
Carl Holding, Women and Girls Lead at Cricket Wales, said: “The funding that we get from the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund has supported us being able to run these at a very low cost for people who attend.
"What we're hoping the Fund will do is continue to help drive the focus on the volunteer element and allow us to be able to do these networking events, which bring people together. Lots of clubs have got the same challenges yet they don't all talk to one another.”
Fund's Impact and Coaching Programme
The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund, co-created and co-funded with the ECB, aims to grow the number of girls' teams by breaking down barriers and helping clubs create more inclusive, welcoming environments where girls can play and stay in the game.
Launched in 2024 to grow and support the number of coaches and volunteers in girls' cricket, the Fund has delivered almost 5,000 hours of coach mentoring, alongside training 461 coaches through the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund ECB Core Coach programme, which is a coaching qualification specifically for existing and potential coaches of girls' cricket.
Long-Term Goals and Club Engagement
Holding added: “It's a 12-month plan for keeping clubs engaged and getting them to talk to each other because away from the game they may not do so.
"But they all have the same common problem, which is trying to keep the girls in the game because lots of them do a lot of different things. My daughter plays hockey, football, netball, and cricket.
"And that's the same across the board. Keeping these clubs talking to each other and then providing the coaching course element to get more coaches involved will hopefully keep girls playing the game long-term.
Roadshows are critical to this, providing a space for clubs to share ideas and experience on how to maximise the opportunities they can give to their members, while also championing the progress made so far. They also featured coaching sessions and practical advice on the transition from soft to hard ball cricket.
“The courses that we run for coaches, which are specifically targeted to coaching girls have had an impact,” Holding said. "We try to keep these volunteers in the game because a lot of those I see are already volunteers in other sports.
By helping more girls access welcoming clubs, supportive coaches and visible role models, the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund gives them more than a chance to play, it helps build confidence, belonging and ambition. Because when girls feel supported in sport, they carry that belief into their lives.
