Board Member | World Cricketers’​ Association

Cecelia Joyce has helped to shape not just Irish cricket but global cricket off the field in recent years, championing player rights and professionalization through her role as President of the Irish Cricketers’ Association (ICA) and as a board member of the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), where she helps guide international player welfare standards. A former international player with 57 ODIs and 43 T20Is for Ireland, Joyce brings first-hand experience of athletes’ challenges to her advocacy.

Her leadership has driven tangible progress in Irish cricket. She was involved in the negotiations for the first Irish men’s team full time contracts and then later, with the negotiations for the women’s contracts. Joyce recalls the incremental steps that transformed the women’s game: “We negotiated with Cricket Ireland so that when we had to take time off from work, we got a payment for Cricket Ireland in lieu of the time we had to take off. That was the argument that got us to a place where part-time and then full-time contracts were possible”. These measures improved financial security for players and professionalized the sport, setting standards now followed internationally.

Joyce’s playing career informs her perspective on leadership and governance. She debuted for Ireland at 17, later captaining university teams in cricket and hockey while earning Trinity College Dublin’s prestigious ‘pink’ award. Her playing experience helps her understand the practical and cultural challenges players face, shaping how she advocates for collective responsibility and structured support not just for players from Ireland or other WCA member countries, but for all players.

Outside the sport, Joyce is a senior associate at A&L Goodbody, specializing in high-value commercial litigation, M&A disputes, banking claims, and shareholder actions. She emphasizes practical fairness in advocacy, and consistency in her interactions with clients and opposing counsel: “I find that if you are consistent and people know that about you, it is easier to build and maintain trust, cut through a lot of the noise and get better results for everyone.”

A vocal advocate for collective responsibility, she notes, “The players with the most leverage are going to have to be bravest, which is always very hard. Those who have the most to lose potentially have to stand up for the rest of the players. But there is also strength in numbers and we have seen great unity amongst the players at home and across all the WCA member countries.” She also highlights how this applies to the national level as well: “If the more influential countries don’t have strong labour rights movements, then that is going to drive the culture across the sport.”

Through her roles at the ICA and WCA, Joyce mentors emerging leaders, helps players navigate contracts, and supports both domestic progress in Irish cricket and the development of international best practices for player welfare.