Setting up a sustainable

girls section AND HOW YOUR CLUB CAN BENEFIT

Why have girls?

Shows your club to be friendly & welcoming to all

More participants

More volunteers

Sustainability

Increased income

Potential sponsorship

Wider community engagement

What’s on offer already for girls in

Hampshire

Girls’ only leagues in 2 districts

Girls’ club championships

Progressive pathway

Junior coaching and officiating courses

Fun, friendly, inclusive indoor tournaments

Exciting year round holiday camps

Schools coaching & competitions

W10 & softball festivals for girls 12+

Ticket offers to see the Southern Vipers

Support for clubs wanting to enter girls’ only teams into boys leagues

What opportunities does cricket

offer girls?

To make new friends

To meet their heroes

To keep fit

To be inspired

To have fun

To travel

To learn new skills

To be the

best they

can be

How the Hampshire Cricket Board

can help

Club programme for new and struggling clubs

Provide positive role models

Opportunities for play – competitions & festivals

Progressive girls’ pathway

Softball & hardball opportunities

Support clubs in setting up a girls’ section

Advise on how to manage sustainability

Training in girls’ specific coaching

Planning a taster session➢ Same night as regular girls training

➢ Ensure you have plenty of support

➢ Encourage female role models from your club to attend

➢ Make it fun – relaxed, fun games & drills; music

➢ Have someone specifically to welcome girls & parents, take players

details and share information about the club

➢ Check loos and facilities are clean and welcoming

➢ Include food & drink – BBQ, bar, tuck shop

➢ Group girls with people they know if possible

Considerations Expense – girls are often involved with a number of other activities already:

• offer a couple of trial sessions before subs are paid

• girls kit bag with a selection of clean, used kit that is just for girls, so players don’t have to buy all

the protective equipment required to play hardball

Mixed cricket – girls can play down 2 years in mixed cricket and, if they wish to progress,

should be encouraged to do so. However that shouldn’t preclude them from playing girls only

cricket too should they wish

Senior cricket – girls can play senior (men’s or women’s) cricket from 13 yrs old and should

be given the opportunity if they would like

Kit – girls traditionally don’t like whites. Wearing club training kit for matches is an easy and

cost effective alternative

Sustainability

Identify individuals who could be involved in the future to ensure

sustainability: coaches, committee members, umpires, scorers etc.

Train parents to score at junior matches

Encourage women & girls to attend female only scoring & umpiring

courses run by HCB

Encourage district and county players U13 up to attend Young

Sports Leader course

Identify positive female role models from within your club

Sustainability

Build relationships with local schools

Offer to host school competitions

Run taster sessions at other local clubs, guides & brownies using club

role models

Produce female friendly flyers and posters

Target girls from your All Stars activity

Encourage girls to come as a group or with a friend as more

likely to attend

Keeping girls interested

Fun – sessions should be planned and have a focus, but should also be fun

Equality – allocate girls equal access to facilities, times and pitches

Competition and opportunities for progression

Social – build in time to chat; provide activities outside cricket e.g. film & pizza night

after training ; trip to watch the Southern Vipers

Inclusive – formats that include all, a chance to play with friends

Right coaches (male or female) – friendly, approachable, supportive & high quality

Sign up with friends or groups

• encourage girls to sign up as a group, perhaps offer an incentive for a

‘bring a friend’ day

Ask them what they want – more likely to buy into what you are doing

• involve them in kit design/team name decisions

Role models – try and have a positive role model at the first session

• This could be a district/county player or a player from your ladies team

Keeping girls interested

➢ Girls’ teams in open leagues

➢ Publicise HCB girls only activities – holiday camps, indoor tournaments

➢ Welcoming atmosphere

➢ Clean & inviting facilities

➢ Support of whole club

➢ Challenge inappropriate behaviour/language

Keeping girls interested

Softball cricket – offering an

alternative

Explore possibility of W10/softball festivals for those aged 12+ who haven’t played

hardball cricket

Send out a note to colts’ sisters and mums and senior players’ wives & girlfriends to establish interest

Target local secondary schools

Put posters up and target schools; leisure centres;

girl guides; football and hockey clubs

Invite to a taster session

Hampshire Women & Girls Pathway

She believed she could

……so she did

Giving girls confidence is key