Rise of girls' cricket helping to inspire next generation, says Charlotte Edwards
Thursday 22 June 2017 17:19, UK
Former England World Cup-winning captain Charlotte Edwards says a revolution in girls' cricket is helping to inspire the next generation of female cricketers.
On the eve of ICC Women's World Cup 2017, a survey of children aged 8-16 found that 44 per cent of girls played cricket to some extent in the past year.
"We've seen a revolution in girls' cricket over the course of my career," said Edwards, an Ambassador for Chance to Shine, which seeks to grow school cricket.
"Organisations like Chance to Shine are helping to normalise cricket for girls, and their opportunities to play have improved beyond all recognition.
"More can always be done and I'm calling on all schools, particularly secondary schools, to give girls an equal opportunity to play cricket. I see a real appetite for the game from girls when I visit schools and the ICC Women's World Cup on home soil is a huge chance for us to inspire them to pick up a bat and ball and give cricket a go."
ECB Director of Women's Cricket Clare Connor added: "There's never been a better time for girls to get involved in cricket and we've made massive progress in introducing more women and girls to the game.
"ECB recently doubled its investment in Chance to Shine, helping to introduce the sport to hundreds of thousands more primary school girls and boys, and this summer we have started a new ECB participation programme, with All Stars Cricket getting a bat and ball in the hands of 5-8-year-old girls and boys in a fun, welcoming environment.
"Women now have unprecedented opportunities in the game. The Kia Super League and the central contracts on offer for England's women players mean that cricket is a viable career choice for the next generation of female players.
"The ICC Women's World Cup also gives us all a great opportunity to excite and inspire girls to have a lifelong association with the game.
"There's always more to be done and we need to make sure that girls continue to have the opportunity to play the game, throughout their time at school and beyond."
Cricket charity Chance to Shine has given over three million children in 13,000 state schools the opportunity to play and learn through cricket - nearly half (46 per cent) are girls - and many have taken part in this week's Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week.
Live ICC Women's World Cup
A recent survey of 1,213 female Chance to Shine participants confirmed the impact of a positive experience at school - 76 per cent of girls surveyed were not playing cricket before Chance to Shine, but after participating 34 per cent named it as one of their three favourite sports and more than 60 per cent said they would like to join a local cricket club.
Watch the ICC Women's World Cup live on Sky Sports, starting with England Women against India Women on Saturday - live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports Mix from 10am. Every match will be shown on a Sky Sports platform. Check out the full schedule here.
