How Does CKC Support the Development of Women and Girls’ Cricket?Supporting the continued development of women’s and girls’ cricket is a core aim of Capital Kids Cricket (CKC). Across all our projects...
Supporting the continued development of women’s and girls’ cricket is a core aim of Capital Kids Cricket (CKC). Across all our projects, we are proud to promote, develop, and create greater opportunities for women and girls to participate in the game.
Every club that we establish, develop, or support has the goal of creating or growing a women’s and girls’ section.
At two of our flagship clubs, Leyton Wicketz CC and West Ham and Stratford CC, we are making strong progress towards this goal. Our aim is for each club to have at least one team competing in junior league cricket by summer 2024.
During the first year of our Clubs in Need Project, we will support the growth of Canons CC, a girls-only cricket club based in North London.
We will also continue to support the growth and development of women’s and girls’ sections at London Tigers CC, Regent’s Park CC, and Tower Hamlets CC.
Delivered in partnership with the Surrey Cricket Foundation, CKC has been running cricket sessions for women’s university cricket clubs in London since 2016.
The programme initially began with King’s College London Women’s Cricket Club and has grown significantly over the years. Sessions are now also delivered for University College London, Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics.
An annual indoor league takes place between the university teams, providing participants with the opportunity to compete and put their skills into practice. This year alone, more than 100 women have already taken part in our coaching sessions.
Training and developing skills are important, but playing competitive matches and putting those skills into practice is one of the most rewarding parts of cricket. That is why competitions play an important role in our programmes.
Our flagship competition, the William Greaves Trophy, is a great example of our commitment to encouraging girls to participate in cricket.
Contested by more than 200 primary schools each year, the William Greaves Trophy features teams of eight players, with a minimum of four girls required in every team.
Over the last two cricket seasons, we have also worked with the Victoria Park Community Cricket League in East London to develop a women’s midweek cricket league — the Gina Bogun League.
In 2023, four teams participated in regular matches, with plans to grow the league further in 2024 and beyond.
Our annual London Sixes competition has traditionally featured both men’s and women’s competitions. Going forward, the competition will focus exclusively on the women’s game, providing greater opportunities for female players and helping to promote women’s cricket.
Over the following six months, we also planned to launch two new female-focused leagues:
The My Game League — targeting secondary school girls through a combination of training sessions and competitive matches against other schools.
A new indoor midweek league — designed for mixed-ability club sides, providing another accessible opportunity for women and girls to play competitive cricket.
Our commitment to developing women’s and girls’ cricket extends beyond the UK.
Since 2017, CKC has worked with the Alsama Project in Lebanon to develop cricket programmes in refugee camps across the country.
A key part of this work has been providing equal opportunities for male and female participants to take part in cricket, learn about the game, develop their skills, and build confidence as young people and adults.
Through our work in the UK and internationally, CKC remains committed to making cricket more inclusive and ensuring that women and girls have meaningful opportunities to participate, compete, and develop through the sport.