Women’s cricket in Sussex breaking boundaries

2023 was a year for growth in the women’s game across the county, and in 2024 Sussex Cricket has set its sights on encouraging more women to work in roles behind the scenes of the club.

Sussex Cricket and its charitable arm, the Sussex Cricket Foundation, recently published its Impact Report for 2023 and the numbers show that participation of women and girls at cricket clubs across the county continues to grow year on year.

Growth within the women’s game is once again set to continue into 2024 and beyond, however the number of females working behind the scenes at professional cricket clubs doesn’t correlate.

This is why Sussex Cricket Club has begun its mission to encourage more women to make the leap and begin careers at the professional sports club.

Starting this spring, female employees at the club will begin a series of focus groups designed to come up with programmes and initiatives to help inspire women who may want to embark on a new chapter within an industry typically saturated by men.

The group first met this week ahead of International Women’s Day to not only discuss the challenges women face working in sport, but also to begin the process of creating a mentorship programme to guide any potential new members of the team.

As well as looking to inspire young women to take the plunge into professional sport, the group will also focus on creating a clear pathway for women to take up leadership roles within the organisation.

Currently four females sit on the board of Sussex Cricket Limited and eight males, with the club seeking to address the balance within the coming years, in line with targets set by the governing board of the game, the ECB.

On the pitch, Sussex is currently working through a tender process as it bids to become one of eight professional women’s cricket teams in the country.

If successful, The 1st Central County Ground will become the home of both the male and female professional cricket teams, a truly exciting prospect for the city of Brighton & Hove, a place renowned for a community that embraces progress and diversity.

Harnessing the appetite of a city which has already proven its hunger for professional sports for all will be key to the bid.

Brighton & Hove Albion FC have already laid out the blueprint for how to establish an impactful professional women’s team and Sussex Cricket aims to do the same.

Back-to-back sellouts for England Women’s internationals at The 1st Central County Ground in the past two years prove the audience is there and with the Club on track to sell out yet another women’s international fixture this year, it only further demonstrates the need for even more female professional sports events in the city.

A groundbreaking rematch

It was 20 years ago this summer when Sussex hosted the first ever women’s international twenty-over cricket match when England Women hosted New Zealand Women at Hove and the two sides are set to battle it out in the rematch this June.

Sussex Cricket offers a range of Corporate Hospitality experiences, with many still available for the upcoming rematch on 9th June 2024.

It’s the perfect environment to entertain clients, in front of a sellout crowd at The 1st Central County Ground, with first-class food & service alongside the high-octane international T20 cricket.

If you’d like to know more, please reach out to corporatesales@sussexcricket.co.uk