ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam 39 | Page 19

GROWING GIRLS’ CRICKET
A key objective of the South Asian Strategy is to train at least 200 new female
coaches by 2020. Coach and ECB Coach Educator Khushali Patel stands out from the
crowd as a model of why that target is such a vital one.
There’s plenty of theory behind the need to
focus on growing the female coaching base –
from culture and identity to facilities and styles –
but for Khushali, the reason to coach is simple.
“I make loads of new friends, learn lots and it’s
just a lot of fun,” she explained at the ECB Coach
Awards last year, where she walked away with the
2017 Coach of the Year gong.
That enthusiasm and excitement is wildly
infectious, with the success of her Harrow Alliance
Girls’ team a testament to that.
Starting as a dream over two years ago, they
entered one team in the under-13 League. This
summer, they have entered two teams at under-11
and under-13, as well as two teams to play in the
MCA indoor win