UCL Women’s Cricket nominated for national award
UCL Cricket Club has been shortlisted for the Bright Network Wellbeing & Sports Award, following efforts to grow the women’s side of the club and improve opportunities in the sport.
The award, part of the annual Bright Network Society of the Year Awards, recognises student societies or sports clubs who raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing and encourage greater participation in physical activity.
In the last year, through the introduction of women’s only training and socials, UCL Cricket Club went from 0 to 68 female members. Opportunities included weekly beginners’ sessions, a training session with an England Women’s player, and a tournament hosted at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
6 women now sit on the committee - which had been all-male until last season.
The recipient of the Bright Network award will be determined by ballot, with voting open until 2:00pm on Wednesday. The winning society will be rewarded £900, with the chance to win a further £1000.
“After all the hard work the club has put in over the last year, it’s amazing to be tipped for a national award,” commented Annika King, UCL Cricket Club Women’s Secretary.
“More importantly, this is an incredible opportunity. £900 would be a game-changing amount of money for us, to help grow the women’s side further and provide even more opportunities in our sport.”
“From running more and better training sessions to booking pitches - as well as raising awareness through events - this money would make such a difference to women’s cricket at UCL, for years to come,” Beth George, Womens’ Captain, said to Pi.
As part of its efforts over the past year, King told Pi, the club identified barriers to participation and discussed them with members, from wearing white clothing to structural sexism in the sport.
The club went on to make a public statement explaining the problems women face in cricket and how to address them, and called on clubs around the country to do the same by beginning a challenge - “Let us know what you’re doing or what you could do better, and challenge 3 more clubs.”
Pi spoke to the club’s Welfare Officer, Hattie Palmer, about this full-scale approach: “It has been really important to confront these issues as a club. By talking them through, we’re not just improving opportunities for women, but making sure that the club is an open and welcoming place for everyone.”
Ahead of Wednesday, representatives from UCL Cricket will be campaigning on campus to drum up more votes.
“We encourage anyone who cares about these issues to go ahead and vote! We want UCL cricket to be for everyone,” King said.
The winner of the Bright Network Wellbeing & Sports Award will be determined by ballot. You can vote here. Voting closes at 2:00pm on Wednesday. The winner will be announced on 3 December.