New festivals to entice women and girls to cricket

The ECB are getting behind the "This Girl Can" campaign, encouraging cricket clubs to get more women and girls across the country to play cricket. Taster sessions will be staged along with four new cricket festivals aimed at women of all abilities.

The festivals, staged in Birmingham and St Albans on June 14, followed by Bristol and Tadcaster on June 21, will involve eight and six-a-side matches. The England Women's team will also be delivering a masterclass at Hampstead CC on June 7 from 12pm-1pm, followed by a 25-over match against a Hampstead Select XI.

"The number of clubs offering cricket to women and girls has increased from 93 to more than 565 over the last decade," ECB's director of England Women's cricket, Clare Connor, said "But our research has demonstrated that the traditional longer versions of the game, played in whites and with a hardball, is not always appealing to women who are new to the sport.

"The ECB is therefore working really hard to counter this by engaging with our recreational club network and sharing our learnings. By giving cricket clubs the tools and resources to ensure that they are delivering the most attractive sort of cricket activity to appeal to women and girls, we hope we will see increased participation levels.

"We need to use the positive momentum of the 'This Girl Can' campaign to promote cricket as a fun, sociable game that women and girls can play with friends in welcoming environments. We have a fantastic opportunity this summer when we host the Women's Ashes to continue to build the profile of women's cricket, and to inspire even more women and girls to get involved in the game."