Female Cricket began with the objective of building a platform which would discuss, share and celebrate the journey of female cricketers around the world. As the only platform dedicated to women cricketers, Female Cricket aims to raise the profile of female cricketers by sharing their stories, acknowledging their hard-work and inspiring more girls to take up cricket. As well as aid aspiring female cricketers with the required information, resources and skills.
Founded by Vishal Yadav in February 2016, Female Cricket has inspired many young talents to nurture and pursue their cricketing dreams. They now have an ever-growing community of over 100,000 female cricket enthusiasts, who are connected through both online and offline media.
The Female Cricket Team stated that “Back in 2016, there wasn’t a single platform talking only about women’s cricket. Although India is a cricket-freak country where cricket is not just a sport but considered a religion, the scenario was exactly the opposite when it came to women’s cricket. There weren’t enough matches, no exposure, very little awareness and therefore lack of quality in the women’s game.
This Mumbai-based organisation strives to promote cricket for women in and around the world. In this endeavour, Female Cricket has connected with communities from Germany, France, America, Australia, Argentina and Canada.
One of its many goals is to enable the overall development of women as well – “The combined efforts of all 15 players are what ensures success in the sport which gives a sense of responsibility to each and every participant. Besides, cricket makes you physically agiler, teaches you sportsmanship and makes you a better human being. We still live in a society that questions equal opportunities for women and their fundamental rights. Cricket/any sport gives them a chance to express their feelings, makes them physically and mentally strong and thereby helps in their overall development.”
Image source: Female Cricket Academy
Vishal Yadav says that “Within just 2 months of starting Female Cricket, we realized it’s true potential and that there was a strong need for such a platform. Our community started responding to this initiative, which further boosted our belief in the idea. We have a small team of writers/ contributors today who share the equal passion as we do.
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We also distributed cricket equipment to underprivileged kids across Mumbai. To this point, we are a self-funded business, and we would love to associate/partner with entities who share a similar passion for female cricket as we do”.
The Female Cricket Academy
The Female Cricket Academy is a coaching academy for girls in India started by Female Cricket. The academy aims to build a platform for young girls to showcase their talents, nurture their cricket dreams and make progress in their professional cricket career.
Image Source: Female Cricket Academy Facebook
With its first center in Mumbai, the academy was inaugurated on 2nd November 2017 and plans to expand in other cities soon. An academy that once began with 10 girls, now trains around 45+ girls between the age of 8 to 25 in 2 batches – morning and evening.
The response from family members of girls enrolled in the academy has been positive. When asked, team members mentioned that “Out of 35 students in our batch, 12 qualified for the recently conducted summer selection camps in Mumbai. This has further boosted everybody’s confidence and we have seen more and more girls signing up for the coaching sessions. It is great to see the parents taking interest in the sport”.
The Female Cricket Campaign for #WomensIPL
Female Cricket initiated an online campaign to highlight the importance of having a Women’s IPL. Capitalizing on the power of digital media, the idea was to reach out to as many female cricket fans as possible and seek their views on IPL for women.
The campaign took place on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, which saw a humongous response. As expected, the campaign drew attention from boys and girls, young and old and majority of them showed their enthusiasm for the idea. The campaign was a hit and was appreciated by fans around the country.
Image Source: Female Cricket website
Those at Female Cricket decided to further their support and excitement towards this campaign. A banner was prepared and the idea was to take it to Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium on 12th April 2017. The banner had this message written – “Dear IPL, congratulations on your 10th Anniversary. Can we now have our Women’s version of IPL? India demands #WomensIPL”.
Right in the middle of the Wankhede stadium, as the match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad progressed, a bunch of female cricket fans held this banner tight, carrying a message from thousands of supporters, as they displayed their excitement for Women’s IPL.
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Featured Image Source: Female Cricket Academy Facebook
This initiative can be followed on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. The Female Cricket Academy can be followed on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
