TO BE THE LEADING SPORT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS In line with our commitment to be openly accountable for ongoing progress towards becoming the Leading Sport For Women And Girls, welcome to the third Australian Cricket Press For Progress Report. Starting with defending a Women’s Ashes overseas, continuing with the first standalone season of the rebel Women’s Big Bash League, and culminating in the record-breaking final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on International Women’s THE Day, this year belongs to so many: the current generation of professional athletes, the generations past who gave so much, the future generations who can see what is possible, and the countless players, volunteers, coaches, families and friends, fans and administrators who have built the involvement and inclusion of women and girls in our great game piece by piece. GREATEST As we continue our journey towards being a truly gender equal sport, evidence tells IN THE HISTORY OF THE us that a record number of Australians are on this journey with us. More girls are playing cricket than ever before. Cricket is viewed as more gender inclusive than WOMEN’S ELITE GAME ever before. The Australian Women’s Team has been named as our country’s most IN AUSTRALIA loved sports team. But owning our challenges is also a fundamental part of our commitment to YEAR transparency, and the highs of this past year were quickly followed by significant lows as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally. This once-in-a-century event is being felt throughout our game, and it will take deliberate and ongoing focus to ensure that perfect night at the MCG in March continues to inspire and attract more women and girls to cricket. With all sports impacted to varying degrees, we call on our peers to join Australian Cricket in publicly sharing their commitments to create better opportunities for women and girls in sport. Now is not the time to revert to ways of old. It is an opportunity to reimagine our sector, with decisions to be made that will shape sport in our country for decades to come. That future must be one that includes all Australians. Australian Cricket has been bold with the aspiration it is working to bring to life. It sits with us to ensure the momentum that has been built is sustained through this uncertain time, and reinforced as our sport continues into this new decade. Will you join us? James Allsopp Dominic Baker Keith Bradshaw Michelle Enright Lee Germon CEO, Cricket ACT CEO, Cricket Tasmania CEO, South Australian Acting CEO, ICC T20 CEO, Cricket NSW Cricket Association World Cup 2020 Nick Hockley Andrew Ingleton Christina Matthews Joel Morrison Terry Svenson Interim CEO, CEO, Cricket Victoria CEO, Western CEO, Northern CEO, Queensland Cricket Australia Australian Cricket Territory Cricket Cricket Association CRICKET ASPIRES TO BECOME AUSTRALIA’S LEADING SPORT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS Our focus is across five key areas: As the mid-point of the Australian Cricket Victoria – reaching the target equality, namely as delivering on our Cricket Strategy passes, continuing of a minimum 40% representation of commitment to close the gender pay the prioritisation of our Leading Sport men and women for the first time, gap in any prize money won by the For Women And Girls aspiration is vital Former Australian cricketer and Australian Women’s Team at the 2020 in the face of a once-in-a-century commentator Mel Jones OAM becoming ICC T20 World Cup, over and above disruption impacting not only the the first woman elected to the Cricket the gender equity foundations of the sport sector, but all aspects of Australia Board as a State nominee, player payment model. LEADERSHIP Australian life. and the expansion of the annual This doesn’t mean we’re finished Achieve gender equity across Australian Cricket, while Australian Cricket Female Director Never has it been more important to Forum to welcome more executives though, with progress still to be developing and accelerating opportunities for women welcome all Australians to our sport. and male directors for the first time. made towards the 2022 targets of the Australian Cricket Strategy as we in our game. This ongoing prioritisation is one Gains in Other Management (+4% to continue to push for a fundamental of two focuses of the Leadership 33%, reversing a decline in 2018/19) cultural reset of ‘who plays cricket’. pillar, alongside improving the and Total Staff (+2% to 36%) were With the progress achieved to date gender diversity of the Australian recorded, although the role of recent though, we are now in a position to Cricket workforce. restructurings, including within tackle additional opportunities for GROW PARTICIPATION SUSTAINABLY Gender diversity within the governance male-skewed community cricket improvement, such as the new pilot of Australian Cricket continues to departments, must be noted here. program to support female elite Sustainably grow women’s and girls’ participation, improve. Significantly, the number The emergence of the COVID-19 players transition to coaching within of women holding director positions pandemic also has led to a delay in cricket’s elite ranks. and make sure cricket clubs are welcoming and a new national workforce diversity in Australian Cricket has increased ON THE RADAR: enjoyable places to be. 75% over the strategy period, and strategy, with the previous Australian represent more than 30% of all Cricket Workforce Gender Action Plan • Monitoring the gendered directors for the first time. currently extended. impact of COVID-19 We are proud of steps we have taken • Confirming a new national Other highlights of the past year strategy for workforce diversity. include two Boards – Cricket ACT and to continue to lead on gender pay ELITE TALENT PATHWAY Offer a viable professional career for female talented athletes, supported by an expansive and REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN structured pathway. EXECUTIVE OTHER TOTAL DIRECTORS MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES 19%* 31% 31% 32% 2017 / 18 GROW WOMEN’S ELITE CRICKET Grow the WBBL and women’s international cricket, 26%* 34% 29% 34% while remaining number one in all formats. 2018 / 19 32% 33% 33% 36% 2019 / 20 WOMEN AND GIRLS AS FANS Deepen cricket’s fan base by entertaining women and 2022 Minimum 40% representation of men and women across girls through international cricket and the Big Bash. every level of the Australian Cricket workforce TARGET *Adjusted to remove the dissolved boards of Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades. All data as at 30 June 2020. With record awareness of women’s With a record number of female However it is registered participation The strength of the Australian Women’s • Securing an ICC Women’s U19 victorious squad in the ICC Women’s elite cricket, more Australians than professional contracted players within team- and club-based cricket Team on the field, and the rebel World Cup, with a realignment of T20 World Cup included five NPS alumni, ever before know cricket is a sport of Indigenous backgrounds, the that will achieve sustainability, and with Women’s Big Bash League’s position as national underage championships in Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Molineux, for women and girls. growing number of female teams in bold targets set for 2022 – no more one of the leading women’s sporting from U15/U18 to U16/U19 planned to Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck Indigenous community events and so than the momentum from the ICC leagues in the world, is built on the support this; and Georgia Wareham. Female registered players grew 11% the first Indigenous T20 Cup were Women’s T20 World Cup driving more foundations of the state and national • confirmation of T20 cricket to 76k, representing more than 10% also highlights. than 2,000 new teams in the coming talent programs. Vital to monitor though is any of all registered players for the in the 2022 Commonwealth progress at risk from the pandemic, years – a priority has been finalising Games; and second consecutive year despite When combined with school the development of the new, three-year Australian Cricket continues to focus on such as the first ICC Women’s U19 programs and competitions based programs providing formal The Next Innings: Accelerating Female offering a viable professional career for • an Australia A tour coinciding World Cup scheduled to be played in positioned for after the ICC Women’s opportunities to sample playing Participation strategy. female talented athletes, supported by with an Australian tour for the Bangladesh in early 2021. The ongoing T20 World Cup being significantly cricket, total female participation an expansive and structured pathway first time, to England as part of evolution of underage championships impacted, particularly in the indoor grew by 73k this past year, ON THE RADAR: to bridge playing at a community level the successful 2019 Women’s is another at-risk example, with a space. Western Australia, with 45%, representing 63% of total growth with playing for your country. Ashes series. reduction of opportunities in the • Roll out of The Next Innings recorded the strongest growth. and resulting in a new high 2020/21 season, including the U16 strategy, prioritising positive club Also of note was, mirroring the success watermark of women and girls being As part of becoming the Leading Sport National Championship planned environments for girls and with of the Brisbane Heat in the rebel With the four-year Growing Cricket 32% of all participants for the first For Women And Girls, our target is to for 2020/21. an increased focus on women Women’s Big Bash League, the U15 For Girls Fund now at its end, most time. This overall increase sits only offer more playing opportunities for stepping into coaching roles National Championship title left NSW pleasing is the evidence of growing behind 2016/17 – the year following female talented athletes than in any ON THE RADAR: depth within underage club levels.