With the 2017-2018 season of cricket beginning the Peel Cricket Association have battled to reach female participation rates.
A number of issues in the region’s senior and junior female competition have led to a lack of women joining including barriers of time, childcare responsibilities and lack of an A Grade team.
Peel Junior Cricket Association and Rockingham-Mandurah District Cricket Club female
coordinator Peta Hogarth said “it has been difficult to break down the barrier for girls wanting to play cricket”.
“There is a perception that the games are long and move slowly.
“This is why the new T20 formats for junior girls are very important as the time has been decreased and the games move at a faster pace,” Mrs Hogarth said. “The numbers for this format have grown from last season.”
WA regional cricket manager Brodie Green said there are four junior teams and seven senior teams participating this season.
“Female friendly clubs are being employed to engage more women in cricket,” Mr Green said.
“Female cricket will benefit from making clubs more family friendly,” Mrs Hogarth said. “The participation rates in the RMDCC has already increased due to developing child friendly areas in the club rooms.”
According to Mrs Hogarth, minimal funding also is a factor in female cricket players low participation rates in the Peel region.
The local cricket clubs are funded by the WACA and RMDCC also receive grants tied in with performance criteria for senior female cricket.
“The region is at a disadvantage not having an A Grade as the funding at that level is substantial in comparison to B Grade funding,” Mrs Hogarth said. “It is imperative that the region achieves a female A Grade team in the future.”
University player Tamika Bland, who formerly played for RMDCC said the Peel region definitely had a disadvantage not having an A Grade team.
“I believe that having no A Grade team definitely limited the performance of myself and the girls.
“There was no higher level to strive for, so no reason to further our skills,” Miss Bland said. “This led me and many others to move to A Grade teams in other regions.”
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