A blockbuster summer of girls’ school cricket has come to a close for 2025. The Girls’ Cricket Schools Programme was a huge success, with 30 schools taking part.
Our mission at the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation is to put more bats and balls in people’s hands, and the formation of the festivals addressed a gap in our youth cricket offerings. We are delighted by the positive response from the players, schools, and parents alike.
Inspired by schools reaching out during a Lady Taverners competition over the winter, we believed a festival-style tournament would serve as a community event as well as providing competition.
Across four different age groups (under-12s, 13s, 14s, and under-15s), more than 70 fixtures were played. A total of 21 soft ball festivals were played and featured at least 3 matches. While there were 11 hard ball festivals also featuring at least 3 fixtures.
While some schools hosted matches at their facilities, the majority of fixtures were held at local cricket clubs. This allowed the girls to experience different clubs in their communities. We hope that this will aid in their participation in cricket beyond these school festivals. It also provided an opportunity for parents and guardians to learn more about local clubs and experience the facilities.
Seeing so many girls enjoying their cricket and engaging in their communities was fantastic. The enthusiasm for the event gives us the belief that next year will be even better.
Events like these are crucial to increasing the visibility and accessibility of cricket for young girls. We hope that the integration of clubs helps create a pathway for continued participation in girls’ cricket at the grassroots level.
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone involved throughout the summer. To the clubs for hosting fixtures, to the schools for their interest and time, and to all the girls who took part.
For information on how you can get involved next year, visit the women’s and girls’ section of our website or contact our Women & Girls’ Development Manager, Charlotte Moore.
