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1:00 AM 30th January 2025
sports

Metro Bank & ECB Celebrate A Record-Breaking Year For Growth In Women’s And Girls’ Cricket

Cricket
Photo: Metro Bank
Photo: Metro Bank
The six-year partnership between Metro Bank and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is rooted in the creation of the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund, which aims to drive transformational growth for girls’ recreational cricket across England and Wales.

Launched in May 2024, the Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund has just published results showing a successful first year. The work of the fund has contributed to a 21% increase in the number of girls’ cricket teams to 463, and the delivery of 1,130 hours of in-club coach support. Thanks to the Fund, for the first time ever, there are more women than men (56%) participating in the ECB Coach Developer programme.

The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund, co-designed and jointly funded by Metro Bank and the ECB, focuses on recruiting, educating, supporting and celebrating the people that make girls’ cricket in clubs happen; with the ambition to triple the number of girls’ teams at cricket clubs. The Fund provides support to current and potential new coaches and volunteers, female and male, both in clubs with a girls’ section and those starting a new girls’ section.

The Fund comprises seven ‘pillars’ of activity designed to help overcome barriers deterring participation, the most significant being a distinct lack of female coaches in the girls’ game.

“These first results show that our commitment and ambition to work with the ECB to grow girls’ cricket is already making an impact in just its first year,” explains Danielle Lee, Brand & Marketing Director, Metro Bank.

The aim of this partnership is to inspire women to fulfil their potential in cricket, business and life. Participation in team sports - such as cricket - is a gateway for women and girls to succeed in all aspects of their life. We want to improve confidence and social mobility and in turn help communities thrive, whilst also creating more role models who will have a positive impact on the future generations.

Gemma Barton, Head of Women’s and Girls’ Participation at the ECB, said:

Year one was only the start, but we’re already seeing some fantastic results as we work with Metro Bank to turbocharge the growth of women’s and girls’ cricket. Over 2025 we’ll work with cricket boards across England and Wales to fully roll out the Fund, and I’m excited by what we can achieve together in the years ahead.