ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam Issue 37 Dinton CC | Page 2

Buried in deepest
Buckinghamshire, Dinton CC
has a history of girls’ cricket
similar to that of many small
clubs: flashes of success thanks
to enthusiastic parents and
strong groups of friends.
Now home to a growing,
organised girl’s section, they’ve
recognised that female coaches
bring something distinctive,
valuable and worth investing in.
Dinton’s Briony Brock, Hannah
Fisher and Mike Sutliff took time
out from filming for All Stars
Cricket to speak to ECB
Coach Development Manager,
Martyn Kiel.
Briony is in her early 20s, a
lapsed player returning to
volunteer as a coach with the
budding girls’ section. She had
no coaching experience when
she came back to Dinton, but
she had something impossible
to teach: an understanding of
why playing cricket as a young
girl is a unique experience.
‘There are inherent feelings
about gender that are tough to
hear. For example when I ask a
girl if they want to bat, they say
“oh ok, but I’m rubbish,” which
is exactly what I would have
said at that age!
‘I know those underlying
feelings are in me and it’s a
battle to generate the
confidence I need to overcome
all that. Men and boys tend to
be better at projecting
confidence so it’s a challenge to
guide girls into being confident
in that way.
‘I was on a coaching course
recently and there were lots of
comments like, “so is it the girls’
section you coach?” That kind
of attitude is clearly frustrating
but it’s nice at Dinton because
people aren’t like that. They
understand the importance of
exposing kids to mixed cricket.’
Hannah, another young coach at
Dinton, recalls similar
frustrations but maintains that
cutting through that is a battle
worth taking on.
Dinton CC coaches Briony Brock (left), Hannah Fisher and Mike Sutliff
‘I find it challenging when some
of the boys I coach don’t want
to listen because I’m a girl; they
seem to find it harder
respecting a female coach.
That’s a real challenge because
you want to change that
perspective but it’s obviously
set-in. Having support from
other coaches is important, and
for the boys to see the
performances of female
cricketers is a big step.’
From the point of view of Mike,
Dinton’s junior co-ordinator,
having young female coaches
like Hannah and Briony is
important for generating an
atmosphere that encourages
young players of all kinds to join
the club.
‘Players coming to cricket
should be seeing the potential
of girls. I want my son to
recognise that girls can be
incredible players. The
traditional image of the men
playing and women making the
tea is horribly outdated.
‘If we’re going to create a true
family atmosphere here then
everyone needs to participate. I
think it’s really important to
have role models, people like
Hannah and Briony who are
young adults, who provide a
great model: they are
enthusiastic, they invest time.
‘They offer elements of personal
development that most
experienced cricketers can’t,
things like confidence and
empathy with teammates. They
have a unique skill set that we
can’t do without.’
Once clubs have created an
environment to bring in female
coaches, what can we do to
make the most of them?
‘We can support, encourage,
value them, give them access to
the coaching courses and help
them to be the best coach they
can be. That doesn’t mean
coaching at county level –
there’s a perception that a good
coach must coach elite squads.
That’s not true.
‘The coach that gives a
15–year–old the confidence to
stay in the game is of real value,
as is the one who can instill a
love for the game in the
12–year–old who is struggling to
find their place in the world.
That’s the kind of thing Hannah
and Briony are far more
successful at than a failed
county pro.
‘Clubs need to be flexible, to
understand what else will be
going on in their world, to
provide an environment where
people want to spend time. A
place their friends will want to
come to. We should always be
open to discussions about other
things they may want to
experience – travel perhaps, or
coaching a different sport.
‘We can’t just rely on who we’ve
got now either. We can be
looking at our 14–year–olds and
offering them opportunities to
work towards coaching, creating
a sustainable club where we are
building young coaches and
young role models.’
The Support Network
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