• 2024 cohort gain valuable experience through practical coaching and mentorship sessions delivered at ICC pathway events

Following the conclusion of the final 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme for coaches in Ajman, UAE last week, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reflecting on a year since the initiative was launched, from which 31 female coaches representing 22 ICC Member nations have benefitted.

Introduced earlier this year as part of an enhanced Future Leaders Programme, the coaches’ initiative aims to support the ambitions of the ICC’s women’s cricket strategy by addressing the underrepresentation of females in leadership positions within the sport.

The programme not only aims to provide exposure to a high-stakes tournament environment for aspiring females, but also to establish a roadmap for assistant coaches to eventually secure head coach positions at all levels of international cricket.

Delivered at regional pathway events on the road to the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, the 2024 cohort has been engaged through a blend of practical coaching and mentorship sessions to nurture their skills in a high performance environment and carve opportunities for their future growth.

The programme started in Bali, Indonesia back in May, where ten female coaches across the East-Asia Pacific region were embedded into the six participating teams in the EAP Qualifier, launching a six-month learning journey under the guidance of ICC Hall of Famer, Cathryn Fitzpatrick.

Elsewhere, qualifying events in Aberdeen (Scotland), Kigali (Rwanda) and Ajman provided a platform for more emerging female coaches to participate in high performance coaching workshops and gather world-class insights from former international cricketers and elite coaches, Dr Jane Powell, Dinesha Devnarain and Sana Mir.

Manager – Women’s Cricket at the ICC, Snehal Pradhan expressed her delight at the conclusion of the first year of the programme: “Even at ICC women’s events, we see a low number of female coaches. This 100% Cricket initiative is part of a long-term plan to support more women taking up head coaching positions, starting from our pathway events and leading all the way up to the World Cup stage.

“The ICC regional offices have worked really hard to bring this to life, aided by the excellent mentors we have been lucky to engage.”

A mentor coach as part of the 100% Cricket Future Leaders programme, Sana Mir, added: “Being involved in the programme was very enriching. The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup has opened up more opportunities for female coaches.

“ICC’s effort to support the coaches in their journey is great. So many times coaches fall off the radar, so this will not only help them to be actively supported by their boards, but also benefit from continuous learning to take their coaching to the next level.

“Mentors are so important to the cause and it’s crucial for young coaches to be able to share their challenges openly so together we can remove bottle necks, support younger players and inspire more female leaders within the sport.”

With thanks to the ICC

20 future female leaders in cricket will be part of ICC’s 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme, a mentoring scheme designed to support female talent in cricket.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that a further 20 future female leaders in cricket have been selected to be part of the second edition of the ICC 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme. The mentoring scheme, designed to support emerging female talent in cricket and address the low percentage of women in leadership roles in the sport, will see the women paired with senior leaders over a six-month period.

This follows the overwhelming success of the first edition of 100% Cricket Future Leaders programme which concluded at the end of last year. The second intake features talent from 19 ICC member nations who applied to be on the programme which is part of the ICC’s strategy to accelerate the growth of women’s cricket and women in cricket.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “The response from our first batch of Future Leaders has been fantastic and we are delighted to enter the second edition with another talented group of future female leaders of our sport.

“The programme has incredible support from both our Members and the mentors who are so generous with their time and knowledge. There is a genuine desire across cricket to commit to creating a sport that is played, enjoyed, and administered equally by men and women and 100% Future Leaders is a great example of this. Congratulations to our next intake of Future Leaders and we look forward to a productive learning experience for everyone involved.”

The second edition of programme will also include two workshops with programme guide Belinda Clark AO, followed by several interactions between the inaugural batch and the second batch of mentees also.

Programme Guide, Belinda Clark AO said: “I loved being involved in the inaugural programme, I saw firsthand the power of mentoring and the amazing skills and abilities of our emerging female leaders. They have big dreams that have been powered by their wonderful mentors and I am confident they will make a positive and profound impact on the game.”

“We are building a community of impressive people who whether they are mentoring or being mentored are ensuring that the games leadership will continue to become more diverse. I am looking forward to working with another 20 future leaders from around the world and am excited to hear and see their ambitions come to fruition.”

Following is the list of the mentors paired with their mentees for batch 2 of the programme.

Batch 2 commencing January 2022:

About 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme

The 100% Cricket Future Leaders Programme is open for all female future leaders of Cricket to apply and will be matched with a mentor to support their development growth.

The role of a mentor is to unlock their mentee’s potential and help them to be at their best. This could include being a confidential sounding-board, providing advice, guidance, and connections to reach their potential.

The philosophy of the 100% Cricket – Future Leaders Programme is to be participant lead, with the ICC acting in support to match the mentees with suitable mentors and provide guidelines and evaluation frameworks for the participants and opportunities to network and interact.

With thanks to the ICC