THE WAY FORWARD CRICKET WELLINGTON GIRLS AND WOMEN S CRICKET REVIEW. (Abridged Version - August 2013)

Transcription

1 THE WAY FORWARD CRICKET WELLINGTON GIRLS AND WOMEN S CRICKET REVIEW (Abridged Version - August 2013) 1

2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction Background Project Vision Project Purpose Project Values 3 2. Executive Summary Format Approach Findings Conclusions Recommendations 6 3. The Current Landscape Wellington Girls and Women s Cricket membership-participation New Zealand Girls and Women s Cricket Research 7 4. Research Outcomes Key reasons girls and women decide to play cricket in Wellington Key reasons girls and women decide to stop playing cricket in Wellington What is working well in Wellington girls and women s cricket game? What requires development in the girls and women s cricket game? What are things that need to be changed or addressed to improve the game for girls and Women? 9 5. Recommendations Leadership The Game; player, coach, official and administrator Resources Culture Stakeholders Communications Funding The Future Acknowledgements 13 2

3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background In October 2012 Cricket Wellington approached Sport Wellington to lead an independent review of girls and women s cricket in the Wellington Region. Essentially the review was to address Cricket Wellington s Strategic Goal One; Cricket in the community and a strong, competitive and sustainable local cricket environment rejuvenation of women s cricket. A group consisting of two Cricket Wellington Board members and three staff, two Cricket NZ ambassadors, two Sport Wellington staff and a Practicum Student, to be known as the Advisory Team was tasked to carry out the review. The project vision, purpose and values were established and alongside the terms of reference became the key drivers for the review Project Vision More girls and women participating, competing and enjoying cricket, leading to a life-long love of the game Project Purpose To lead, support and inspire the delivery of cricket Project Values Commitment and courage Respect and openness Integrity in all we do Community is our friend Kids are our future Excellence in all we do Teamwork is paramount 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The review was carried out in the knowledge that Wellington Cricket has a long and proud history of girls and women playing cricket. The region has developed many international players including Ina and Joy Lamason, Barbara Bevege, Trish McKelvey, Penny Kinsella, Anna O Leary, Anna Corbin, Lucy Doolan and current White Ferns, Sophie Devine and Sian Ruck. Despite this success the playing numbers for both women and girls cricket is relatively low compared to other sporting codes and at best is either static or in decline. Most importantly however was the recognition that with increased resources and a planned inclusive approach female cricket had the potential to increase membership, participation and profile of the girls and women s game significantly. 3

4 2.1. Format The report has been produced in two ways: a. This report is an abridged version of the document referred to below and has been produced in the interests of providing a simplified public document. b. The Strategic Supporting Document is published in detail and is seen as a tool for Cricket Wellington to gain an in-depth understanding of the review findings, and by inference being of significant help for Cricket Wellington when introducing change into girls and women s cricket, alignment with male cricket and integration of the recommendations into the Cricket Wellington Strategic plan Approach The review is based around a three pronged approach: a. An online survey which was placed on the Cricket Wellington website and open to the public to participate in; resulting in 101 individual responses. b. Face to face interviews with a variety of stakeholders, one on one and in groups, including present and past players, staff, cricket and non cricket players from the Tawa Intermediate School. In addition there were two open stakeholder/public forums. c. Best practice models from other codes were examined and a myriad of research around women and girls playing sport was considered Findings A summary of the key findings are outlined below: a. Girls don t play cricket because it is complicated, boring, and time consuming. b. Girls will play cricket if it is with friends, fun, action and they are involved for the duration of the game. c. Girls like the team aspect, fitness and learning new skills while some enjoy playing in mixed teams with boys. d. Girls generally find watching cricket boring. e. Girls like it when the Blaze and White Ferns players visit school. f. Women like playing cricket with friends and having fun. 4

5 g. Women like playing cricket for fitness, skills development and like the shorter version super eight 20/20 was mentioned as was festival days. h. Women would like more and better coaches. i. The female game appears to be under resourced when compared to their male counterparts. j. Fewer females playing has led to smaller teams, reduced competition, (boring playing the same teams) and in some situations this had led to better players in lower age groups being promoted to higher grades. k. There does not appear to be an integrated development pathway for female players, coaches, officials and administrators. l. There is a perception male players are favoured when it comes to ground allocation (better pitches) and officials support on game day. m. There is a perception that retired female players are treated differently to their male counterparts; many wish to give back to the game. n. There is an overriding view that in almost all aspects of the game, leadership, resourcing, commitment, integration, game-plan, promotion and investment, that the female game is subordinate to the male game Conclusions a. Due to the small player base there is an overwhelming need to retain all of the existing female players, both girls and women, while at the same time develop strategies to attract more girls and women into the game. b. There is an urgent need to address what appears to be favoured treatment for boys and men s cricket over girls and women s cricket at all levels; both on and off the pitch. c. There appears to be a high level of confidence within cricket that with the right leadership and commitment, combined with a gender equal, athlete focused approach, appropriately resourced and supported by Cricket Wellington s Board, its staff and its Clubs that the girls and women s game can grow significantly in the times ahead. 5

6 2.5. Recommendations It is recommended the seven strategic priorities outlined in the model below be fully adopted by Cricket Wellington and integrated into the Cricket Wellington Strategic plan as soon as possible. Priorities Focus Outcomes Leadership Board and management Best practice, leading to a more commitment to gender equity inclusive sport Game Resources Develop a clear and supporting pathway for players, coaches, officials and volunteers Cricket pitches, grounds, training facilities, equipment and clothing A collaborative and coordinated plan, leading to increased capability, growth and enjoyment for all Quality facilities and more resources, leading to enhanced experiences and greater satisfaction Culture Creating the right environment A safe, nurturing and values based culture, leading to one club Stakeholders Communications Funding Identify crickets family of stakeholders and enrich connection through a relationship plan Produce a communication and promotional plan and establish a brand Develop a robust financial model for the future of the game Increased understanding support and satisfaction from our partners, leading to a united family Clarity of purpose and direction, leading to an e-connected community Shared responsibility and commitment, leading to long term sustainability 3. THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE Wellington Cricket has a long, proud history of girls and women playing cricket. The region has developed many international players including Ina and Joy Lamason, Barbara Bevege, Trish McKelvey, Penny Kinsella, Anna O Leary, Anna Corbin, Lucy Doolan and the current White Ferns representatives, Sophie Devine and Sian Ruck. Despite this success the playing numbers for both women and girls cricket is relatively low compared to other sporting codes and at best is either static or in decline. 6

7 3.1. Cricket Wellington Membership Category 2007/08 Players 2008/09 Players 2009/10 Players 2010/11 Players 2011/12 Players 2012/13 Players Club Traditional College Traditional Junior Traditional Total Players NB: Junior Traditional player s data from 2007/2008 season to 2010/2011 season did not account for girls playing in boys grades. Junior traditional player s data from 2011/2012 season and 2012/2013 season did account for girls playing in boys grades. Numbers at competition level based on the following formula supplied by Cricket Wellington: Number of teams in senior women s, T20, and girls youth teams multiplied by 12 (players per team). There will be some overlapping between players in junior traditional, college traditional and senior traditional competition Cricket New Zealand (SportNZ Research 2012) Cricket ranks 14th in girls 5-10 years participation, but does not make the top 20 for ages % of 5-10 year olds were interested in cricket, data for year olds was unavailable as cricket did not make the top % of girls aged had no participation in cricket, only 3.6% participated regularly. 75.2% of girls aged had no participation in cricket, only 1.7% participate regularly. Top 5 barriers preventing female participation in Cricket (Gemba Research 2012) Not knowing where to participate 59% Time to participate: 54% Cost of participation: 53% No one to participate with 47% Commitment to a season 47% 7

8 4. RESEARCH OUTCOMES Stakeholder research was carried out in two ways: An online survey which was placed on the Cricket Wellington website and open to the public to participate in; resulting in 101 individual responses Face to face interviews with a variety of stakeholders, one on one and in groups, with present and past players, staff, cricket and non cricket players from the Tawa Intermediate School. As well there were two open stakeholder/public forums. The outcomes are listed below: 4.1. Key reasons girls and women decide to play cricket in Wellington For the girls and women that play cricket in the Wellington region a key driver behind them wanting to play was that they enjoyed the game and found it fun. Complementing the fun aspect was the fact that they could play with friends at all levels of competition. They also enjoyed the aspect of learning a variety of skills e.g. batting, fielding, bowling, and wicket keeping while being able to keep fit. Women in particular enjoyed the Super Eight 20/20 format of the game, providing a shorter version of the game that didn t require a full 11 a side team. Festival days were mentioned as a great way to bring players together in a fun environment Key reasons girls and women decide to stop playing cricket in Wellington Reasons girls and women stop playing cricket in the Wellington region are headed by the lack of visible player pathways; this means the athlete is unable to see a pathway they can follow to improve their game and skills. The game itself has inherent barriers with feedback that it is boring, too long and has complicated rules. The lack of playing numbers resulting in large player age gaps within the teams puts players off along with the lack of resources available to the girls and women s game especially when compared to the men s game. 8

9 4.3. What is working well in Wellington girls and women s cricket game? 4.4 What requires development in the girls and women s cricket game? Areas identified for needing development spread right across the different areas within the game. A key area for development was the culture within the game and cricket organisation in general in terms of players feeling valued, supported and equal to their male counterparts. Pathways also were a key area for development for athletes, coaches and officials. Changes identified included having more teams in competitions, modified versions of the game, and more coaches available for girls and women. More promotion of the game is needed and involvement of role models; i.e. Blaze players to advertise and sell the game of girls and women s cricket to others within the region. A key element that is currently working well in the girls and women s game in the Wellington region is the short forms of the game available such as Super 8 which also provides fitness for athletes. For those that are in the game there is good support available within the teams that athletes enjoy. Also, it is working well particularly at the junior levels that girls are able to play with boys to create mixed teams; this provides competition and the chance for full sized teams to be created. At the same level it is also working well that juniors are able to play at school level with their friends in the same teams leading to a more enjoyable experience of the game. 4.5 What are things that need to be changed or addressed to improve the game for girls and women? Things that were identified as needing change in the girls and women s game of cricket in the Wellington region mainly focused on equality, leadership, pathways and an improved culture within the game. The employment of a full time girls and women s Development Officer will be a positive step forward. A fully integrated player pathway development plan is urgent and would lead to more players, coaches and officials coming into the game. Modification and variations of the game was also seen as an area for development. 9

10 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Leadership The review has highlighted the need for increased commitment in a variety of ways in order to rejuvenate the girls and women s game. Part way through this review and in response to an interim report tabled at a Cricket Wellington Board meeting, approval was given to appoint a full time Development Officer for girls and women s cricket. This is a giant step forward for the female game however, by itself will not be enough to advance the game to realise its true potential. The Board, Management/staff and Cricket Wellington s member clubs will need to totally embrace this review, its findings and its recommendations in order to maximise the opportunity the sport has to grow the girls and women s game. 5.2 The Game; player, coach, official and administrator There needs to be a full review of girls and women s cricket, commencing with an understanding and acceptance of the whole of sport people development framework. This will extend to the establishment of a girls and women s cricket whole of sport people development framework, which in turn leads to a blueprint for a girls and women s player pathway. The whole of sport approach is inclusive of players, coaches, officials and administrators and starts with fundamental skills and goes right through to performance level meeting the needs of all, whether social or competitive. 5.3 Resources Some would say that the state of the girls and women s game is very much a reflection of the time and resources invested in the game over the past several years. There is a sense that the male game has received better support than the female game; better grounds/pitches, better coaching, better umpires, better development opportunities, better support for representative teams, better sponsorship and better promotion and profile. It is recommended that a full review around resourcing the game is overdue and needs to complement the whole of sport approach outlined in

11 5.4 Culture A common theme coming from the research has been that male cricket appears to receive far greater support in almost all aspects of the game than female cricket. This review provides Cricket Wellington with an excellent opportunity to redress the issue of inequality. In doing so Cricket Wellington may like to revisit its values as the basis for re-establishing an inclusive and equitable playing pitch for all. At the same time the recently introduced one club concept presents Cricket Wellington with an ideal opportunity to build on this positive initiative. 5.5 Stakeholders As no stakeholders plan for girls and women s cricket exists, it is recommended that an exercise be carried out whereby all existing and potential stakeholders are identified. Stakeholders are those people and organisations which are and/or wish to be connected in some form or another with cricket, in this case girls and women s cricket. The stakeholders list to be extensive, covering internal and external partners and showing the type and level of relationship. 5.6 Communications The review highlighted that there was insufficient communications both internally and externally and given that there is no communications plan for girls and women s cricket that is no surprise. While utilising the stakeholders plan would be seen to be a good starting point for producing such a plan, of urgency is the need to retain the small current base of girls and women players. It is therefore recommended that the data base of the existing players be accessed to build an on-going relationship between players and Cricket Wellington. Using multiple channels including but not limited to websites, social media face book, twitter etc. With locally based Blaze and White Ferns players Sophie Devine and Sian Ruck, Cricket Wellington has an excellent opportunity to leverage off their status in projecting a positive image for cricket while at the same time attracting more players to the game. Ultimately the Communications Plan will evolve to include a much wider audience/community. 11

12 5.7 Funding A sustainable model for the on-going development of the girls and women s game is vital. Initially Cricket Wellington has committed to a full time Development Officer for the next 2 years while Sport Wellington has committed $10k for the next 12 months for coach development under a CoachForce contract. These two initiatives are very good starting points and while both are expected to make a significant difference, financial sustainability on the other hand will require a long-term planned approach. Female cricket will have appeal in markets that male cricket does not and our two local White Ferns may also assist in winning over investors. It is recommended that a funding model/plan be developed 6. THE FUTURE It is envisaged that many of the recommendations contained in this report will be implemented immediately while others will be staged. In three years time (at the end of the 2015/16 season) when a full review of progress is undertaken against Key Performance Indicators the following could be expected to have been achieved. Girls and women playing cricket to have increased by 200% - from 442 to 1326 A whole of cricket development plan is meeting the needs of players, coaches, officials and administrators. Cricket is seen as fun and engaging for females of all ages, including, players, coaches, officials, administrators and supporters. A culture of equality, inclusiveness and shared resources is the norm and complements the one club approach. The female cricket brand is well established, attracting positive media exposure and increased stakeholder engagement and support. Representative teams are outperforming their counterparts leading to more local Blaze players and White Ferns. A long term sustainable model for the growth and prosperity of the game is in place providing a certain future for girls and women s cricket. 12

13 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to all stakeholders involved in the review process including the 101 on-line survey respondents, the attendees, mainly club members at the two open forums held at the Wellington School of Cricket, the students and teachers at Tawa Intermediate, researcher Julie Cooper and those that participated in interviews; Sophie Devine and Sian Ruck White Ferns, Tracey Devereux College Sport Wellington, Trish McKelvey former White Fern s Captain, Tania Atkinson Young Persons Advisor, Sport Wellington, Mark Lane, National Development Manager Cricket NZ, and Cricket Wellington s Mark Coles Women s and coaching co-ordinator, Robbie Kerr High Performance Director and Mark Borthwick Coaching Director. To the staff at Cricket Wellington who have been so accommodating with requests for information and assistance along the way we acknowledge your support. Thank you to the members of the Girls and Women s Advisory Team for your encouragement, commitment and hard work towards this project and the completion of the review. Girls and Women s Cricket Advisory Team; Cricket Wellington Board members; Sally Morrison and Bruce Pepperell, Cricket Wellington staff; Robbie Kerr, Mark Coles and Bryan Dickinson - Development and Operations Manager, Cricket NZ Ambassadors; Sophie Devine and Sian Ruck, Laura Bertelsen Massey University Practicum Student and Sport Wellington s Mark Watson - Community Coach Advisor and Sport Development Manager - Kevin Wilson (Chairperson). 13