How women's cricket can follow up on Olympic glory

When the Women's Cricket World Cup was held in New Zealand in 2022, it was part of three major women's events to grace these shores in quick succession, alongside the Rugby and Football World Cups.

But a number of things conspired against it; the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the home team's inability to reach the semi-finals and, when the tournament ended in April, young women packed up their summer sports gear and brought out the winter gear.

So now that the White Ferns have won the T20 World Cup at the start of the New Zealand cricket season, what actions will be taken to ensure a golden opportunity to grow the women's game is seized with both hands?

First there will be the party, but that will have to wait a little longer. The majority of the White Ferns squad and support staff did not jump on a plane back to New Zealand after the final. Instead, they headed to India to play a three-match ODI series in Ahmedabad between October 24 and 29.

No details have yet been released by New Zealand Cricket about what form the celebrations will take and where they will take place, but just like when the men's team won the 2021 World Test Championship, you can be pretty sure that the trophy will be the White Ferns follow them wherever they are. play this summer.

Their first assignment at home will be a three-match ODI series against Australia in mid-December, with all three matches taking place at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

What better opposition to get the crowds out just before Christmas, with the school holidays approaching. A quick Google search shows that adult tickets are available for just $20 each and junior tickets (ages 4-14) are $5. Family passes (two adults and two juniors) cost $40. If you can't make it to Wellington , all three matches will be shown live on TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke.

After that, international cricket will take a short break, but the Dream 11 Super Smash T20 competition will take over, starting on Boxing Day, with the finals on February 2.

With double headers almost every day, the men and women of the six teams travel to all corners of the country to play. It won't just be Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch that see action. You can add Alexandra, Dunedin, Hamilton, Nelson, Napier, Palmerston North and Tauranga to the list.

I expect the World Cup trophy could make its way to most of those locations, with the victorious White Ferns almost always on display for those matches as well.

It's international again in March with home games against Sri Lanka and Australia (again), with games in Napier, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington.

How else can engagement be built and maintained apart from actually seeing the trophy and watching these games?

Just hours after the World Cup win, New Zealand Crickets Head of Female Engagement Jess Davidson was part of a team delivering after-school cricket sessions for girls at St Margaret's College in Christchurch.

We are incredibly proud of the White Ferns winning the T20 World Cup and can't wait to see the impact this will have in inspiring the next generation of cricketers here in Aotearoa. The White Ferns are fantastic role models and are paving the way for young New Zealanders to follow their dreams and perform on the world stage, Davidson says.

The World Cup win couldn't have come at a better time with the summer of cricket just beginning. We have passionate association staff across the motu who work hard to deliver fun and engaging sessions within schools and clubs as they open their doors to welcome existing and new cricketers.

For young girls getting into the game, there are several national girls-only programs such as Yeah! Girls and Girls Smash tailored to their preferences. There are also three new modified Smash Play youth rangatahi formats that are innovative, shorter and ultimately change the way cricket can be played. Through these formats, we hope that girls can give cricket a try and enjoy the game.

New five-year strategic plan for New Zealand Crickets, from this year to 2029, prioritizes growing the participation of registered women and girls cricketers. They want to offer a variety of playing options that truly reflect the way women and girls want to participate in sports.

This season, New Zealand Cricket is supporting associations to organize 59 unique programs/competitions for the target group of 1318-year-old girls. Key focuses include providing quality experiences for young women and establishing and expanding structured competitions across the cricket network, Davidson says.

In 2022, there was widespread praise for New Zealand cricket with the announcement of a combined men's and women's deal, with the White Ferns and domestic women's players receiving the same match fees as men across all formats and competitions. It was an agreement negotiated between New Zealand Cricket, the six major associations and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association.

But competition costs are only one factor; What about the additional benefits and security of contracts?

We have 17 contracted players for the White Ferns, and 13 domestic women's contracts for each of the [six] Domestic women's teams from major associations. In addition, twelve players have been contracted for the winter. We have reintroduced winter contracts and the Players of Interest program this season, in addition to an expanded Women's A programme, says Davidson.

There is a real emphasis on building a long-term, sustainable program with players who we develop to be capable on the world stage.

Not only playing participation is important.

Since 2017, the proportion of women in cricket governance has grown, leading to changes in the conversations and mindsets around the cricket tables.

Lesley Murdoch is currently the Chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Board, appointed in 2022. She is joined on the board by Diana Puketapu-Lyndon, Sarah Beaman, Anna Campbell and Alison Shanks.

Although not specific to New Zealand, one disappointment this week is confirmation that cricket will not be part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. In 2022 it delivered a bronze medal for the White Ferns in head coach Ben Sawyer's first match who was in charge.

But the participation of T20 Crickets (both women and men) in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is a new opportunity to create a platform for youth engagement, development and inspiration. With Brisbane hosting the Games in 2032, it seems more than likely that cricket will follow suit with at least two consecutive appearances.

A gold medal in 2028 or 2032 combined with a World Cup winner's medal? There are plenty of people in the current squad who will be at one or both of the global events. Now is the time to attract and produce the players for 2036 and beyond.