Photo Credit: ECB
Two pioneering events have shone a light on the exciting careers available in technology and cricket.
More than 70 young female cricketers from seven different schools across Warwickshire have spent an afternoon at Edgbaston being inspired by tech career opportunities and the England Women’s cricket team, as part of a ground-breaking Girls in Tech Day in Birmingham.
The event – which included guest speakers from JP Morgan, Colt, and GCHQ – was hosted by the ECB, Microsoft, and Cyber Girls First, and part-funded by Sport England’s Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund. It was designed to broaden the horizons of the 11–14-year-old attendees, showing them what was possible and teaching them to think differently about the possibility of a career in technology or sport.
A range of activities were provided to spark the girls’ interest. Interactive workshops from Microsoft (artificial intelligence), JP Morgan (codebreaking), Colt (hacking) and GCHQ (online safety) were followed by a tour of Edgbaston, pitch-side photos, cricket challenges, and a roundtable session where each of the seven schools taking part were given the opportunity to speak with each of the different organisations in attendance.
Women and girls are typically underrepresented in tech roles, while less than a third of cricket’s workforce is female. With England Women training on the Edgbaston outfield ahead of their Ashes fixture, the day marked an opportunity for ECB and partners Microsoft to encourage future generations of girls and equip them with transferable skills relevant to a range of careers.
Jess Ward, senior manager (female participation) at ECB, said: “It was an incredibly powerful and valuable experience for these girls. You could see from their engagement on the day just how much they got out of it. So many of the girls went home empowered and inspired to think about what they can achieve in their future careers.”
Ivy Nwanze, who leads on strategic partnerships for Microsoft, said “Today, has been brilliant. The girls were excited to see the opportunities that tech brings and hear from experts guiding them through the possibilities of AI and Cyber Intelligence. Our partnership with the ECB is an important one, both organisations want to find innovative ways to empower underserved communities and days like this help provide viable future pathways for these girls.”
All attendees also received tickets for the historic IT20 Ashes fixture between England Women and Australia Women at Edgbaston on 1 July.
This was the first international fixture in which the wicket was prepared by an all-women grounds team. The fixture was also used by the ECB and its partners to promote non-playing roles for women in cricket – such as grounds management, events, digital, and business development – and was delivered on Sky Sports by an all-women backstage crew and a women-led broadcasting team.
With support from the Women in Cricket Employee Network, Edgbaston assembled a team of eight female sports turf specialists – led by Meg Lay, sports turf operative at Gloucestershire CCC’s Seat Unique Stadium – to help promote cricket careers for women and girls.
Meg, who was the first female grounds person in professional cricket, hopes the initiative will encourage more women to follow in her footsteps.
She said: “I love the job and the industry is incredibly welcoming. Being outside all day and having world-class athletes play on pitches I’ve prepared is a real buzz. I could never go back to a ‘normal’ job.
“I’ve helped prepare every match wicket at Gloucestershire since the day I started and, under the tutelage of Sean Williams, head of sports turf at Gloucestershire, I’ve developed my skills and knowledge immensely.
“An Ashes pitch is the highlight of my career so far. To any women and girls looking for an exciting, rewarding career in grounds management, I would say ‘go for it’.”
Meg’s team included sports turf operatives Jasmine Nicholls, Tara Sandford and Rachel Hunter-Worrall – from Headingley, Arsenal FC and Queen Ethelburga’s College, York, respectively – plus Worcester CCC grounds apprentice Carlie Lambert. Emily Geach from Boconnoc Cricket Club (Cornwall), Elizabeth Parker, from the matchday grounds team at Essex CCC, and Zoe Jones from the Ageas Bowl completed the line-up.
Claire Dale, chief people officer at the ECB and sponsor of the Women in Cricket Employee Network, said: “Despite progress in recent years, women remain underrepresented in a range of non-playing professional roles in cricket. The ECB has an established game-wide Women in Cricket Employee Network to champion women already working in the game and attract more women applicants through targeted interventions and campaigning.
“There are roles in cricket to suit everyone. Regardless of skillset, prior experience or background, all women can build a rewarding career that suits their aspirations, develops their confidence, and makes a real impact on the game and the communities it serves.”
Learn more about the amazing range of apprenticeship and digital bootcamp opportunities, made available by Microsoft and their partners by visiting the Microsoft Connector.
For more details on training and careers in grounds management, visit the Grounds Management Association website and for volunteering opportunities check out the ECB’s Cricket Collective.
