A total of 66 clubs across the state have been awarded $1000 or $2000 by Cricket NSW with funding from the Growing Cricket for Girls Leading Clubs initiative in a partnership with Cricket Australia and Commonwealth Bank.
CNSW received 95 applications for the funding, more than double last year’s 30 grants.
The grants will support the clubs in the growth and retention of junior girls’ cricket and the development of female coaches. It is also looking forward to working closely with these funded clubs throughout the season to help them drive participation.
Female cricket numbers are one of CNSW’s greatest success stories. Last season, 12,000 girls in the 5-12-year-old age bracket registered to play, which was 22 percent of all registrations in the age group in the state.
Some of the clubs awarded grants are already doing great work in promoting female cricket. A few clubs on the list, especially from the regions, such as St Michaels CC and RSL CC in Wagga Wagga, are looking to build on a very successful last season in the female participation space. Four clubs from the Central Coast and two from the Hunter Valley region have been given grants to carry on the amazing success story of female cricket in the region – women’s and girls’ cricket has grown exponentially there.
Three clubs in Illawarra, including Cricket NSW’s Club of the Year, Northern Districts Butchers’ CC, have also been awarded $2000 grants, while multiple clubs in all other regions with strong female numbers have been awarded grants of either $1000 or $2000.
Julie Stafford, Female Engagement and D&I Manager, Cricket NSW, said: “We were delighted with the number of applications we received for this grant. Although we couldn’t fund all of the applicants, this shows the appetite to support and develop girls to play the game and to encourage more female coaches too. We’re looking forward to working with the clubs over season and to share their successes and stories.”