Cricket Australia launches new female participation strategy

After massive growth in the participation of women in cricket in the latest Press for Progress report, Cricket Australia has launched a new female participation strategy -- The Next Innings: Accelerating Female Participation. Registered participation among women and girls has grown 61 per cent in four years from 47,831 to 76,413 Australia-wide.



Australia has been at the forefront of women’s cricket successfully hosting the T20 World Cup. The Final played at the iconic MCG saw a record-breaking 86,174 people watching on the International Women’s Days on March 8 where the hosts lifted the trophy.



With the COVID-19 pandemic breaking the momentum, the new female participation strategy aims to continue the growth along with other partners who also commit for the growth of women’s game. It also puts forwards the challenges of expanding participation among women and girls for the next four years.



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The programme has also committed to supporting the clubs who are working with current and future generations of players, coaches, officials and administrators.



“We’re really excited to launch The Next Innings: Accelerating Female Participation strategy. We have seen tremendous female growth in the game,” Belinda Clark, Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Community Cricket, said.



“It was important for us in this next phase of strategy to understand the barriers to female participation. Female role models that are close to home matter, so with ongoing participation growth, we need to see the number of women coaches, volunteers and administrators also grow.”



In addition, CA’s investment in female participation has been further reinforced, providing a funding pool for the clubs that have lead the way in providing opportunities for women and girls so that they can help drive the next steps by implementing the programme.