ECB Coaches Association links Hitting the Seam Issue 37 | Page 7

promote and create opportunities
for female coaches in the game.
The recent women’s coaching
conferences have helped with
that, and shows the kinds of
things we can do to recruit and
retain female coaches at the
grass-roots level.’
For coaches at that level, it’s an
exciting time to be working in
women’s and girls’ cricket. Female
coaches may be currently in the
minority, but with the Chance to
Shine project revealing recently
that 55 per cent of their
participants at secondary school
are female, it’s a fast-growing area
for the sport. Not that Clare is in
any doubt about the work that is
yet to be done.
‘Later in the summer we’ll have
the second year of the Kia Super
League (KSL), which can do a
similar job, as we saw last year.
There was a great quality of
cricket, the average attendance at
the group stage was over 1000,
which was fantastic, and this year
we’ve got better coverage on Sky
and BBC. Next year it will expand,
doubling the number of group
stage games.’ Michael Bates, Carl Hopkinson,
John Stanworth – new,
fresh-thinking coaches with
experiences that Robbo sees
are required.
If Clare is seeing those
opportunities, you can be sure it’s
there and that the game won’t be
letting it pass. With the KSL offering a
comparable level of women’s
cricket to a wider number of
coaches, the women’s game is
becoming more attractive to all
levels of cricket coaches. Won’t
that limit the opportunities for
female coaches?
Similarly, her praise for England
Women’s Head Coach Mark
Robinson will be one steeped in
consideration and experience.
‘He’s brought a different lens over
from the men’s game,’
Clare reveals.
‘He’s developed the existing
Olympic values, of togetherness,
into a ruthlessness, the ability to
give critical feedback to each
other. He’s got this balance of
compassion with toughness
which is perfect for that situation.
‘The contacts he’s developed in
the men’s game have allowed him
to bring in people like James
Kirtley, Tom Smith, Gareth Breese,
‘He’s created a step-change in
perception, with his acceptance
of the role showing the coaching
profession that a high-profile,
county coach saw a job in
women’s cricket as being a good
step to take.’
‘I’m a big champion of inclusivity
in cricket, and I recognise that we
need to be proactive in making
the sport more accessible, like we
are doing with All Stars Cricket
and young children.
‘The question of coaching role
models is a tricky one because we
want young female coaches to be
able to see a path for them, like
men can, to the highest level of
the game.
‘What we need to do is do
everything in our power to
‘There will be some quick wins,
some actions that we can take
within the next six months, but
there are also some longer,
cultural, historical transformations
that need to happen. Looking at
All Stars Cricket though, the way
that’s being presented and
communicated, that will hopefully
be a huge influence on mums and
on local deliverers.
‘The same will be true of the
men’s eight-team Twenty20
competition from 2020, with a
focus on families and being able
to have a competition on
free-to-air TV.’
2020, and the opportunities that
will bring, may seem like a long
way off. If it’s part of Clare
Connor’s vision though, you can
be sure no stone will be left
unturned in the push for the
relevancy of cricket to women.
‘The ultimate vision for us is to
make cricket as relevant to
women as it is to men, which is
a long-term goal. We are starting
by looking at ECB. Once we’ve
established the state of play, we
are devising a plan that we’ll roll
out for the year, which will
eventually put us in a
strong position to get towards
tha t vision.’
The View From The Top
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