Put it this way – I wouldn’t get anywhere near being selected for the current England team,” says former England cricket captain Clare Connor, when asked to describe how women’s cricket has developed over the past decade.
“The last few years have been remarkable. We’ve gone from being a completely amateur sport to having a fully fledged, professional England team. We used to have very little televised cricket, but last year every ball of the women’s Ashes was televised live on Sky Sports and broadcast on BBC radio.”
SUPER STUFF Connor, who received an OBE for captaining England to victory against Australia in 2005, is now the person tasked with taking the women’s game to the next level. She’s the director of women’s cricket at England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – responsible not only for the national team, but also for the women’s domestic league set up and for growing the number of female cricketers at grassroots level.
As part of her plans to improve the sport, she’s masterminded the new Women’s Cricket Super League, a six-team tournament set to launch in July this year. The ambition is for the new league to attract the best cricketers from around the world, creating a more competitive environment for English female players and increasing the visibility of women’s cricket.
Connor says getting the league up and running has been one of her greatest career achievements. “It took over, probably, a third of my working life over the last year,” she says. “It’s been really challenging and we’ve had a lot of work to do – preparation, planning and contractual work with the tender process – without ever being 100 per cent sure whether the league would happen. There were many things which could have derailed it along the way – if the bids from the teams hadn’t been good enough, for example.
“I’m really proud that we’ve made it and once the competition gets going I won’t be as hands-on as I was in the planning stage – although ultimately I’ll be accountable and the buck will stop with me!”
THREE Ps Connor says the league will be based on three ‘Ps’ – “Performance, profile and participation – that’s how we’ve approached the concept,” she explains. “Performance obviously encompasses everything that goes on the pitch. By profile we mean the efforts to really keep up the momentum behind the women’s game. The international women’s game has a big profile at the moment – in terms of increased media interest and commercial investment – but there isn’t a high-profile domestic product, so the women’s game is relying heavily on the international game.
“Hopefully the Super League, with the best female players from around the world, will take women’s cricket to another level, from which we can really push and drive the profile for women’s cricket.”
“The third ‘P’ is participation,” Connor adds, and explains how the aim of attracting more youngsters to cricket is enshrined in the foundations of the Super League. Teams wanting to join the competition were asked to include in their bids clearly identified proposals which would inspire growth at grassroots level, reach more women and girls in their communities and grow female audiences for the sport.
All six women’s cricket teams which were selected for the competition did this successfully. They are Hampshire Cricket, Lancashire County Cricket Board, Loughborough University, South West, Surrey County Cricket Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Hampshire, for example, will play its Super League games based on a “road show” model, working with local partners, such as Berkshire Cricket, the Dorset Cricket Board and Southampton Solent University.
EYES ON THE PRIZE The ECB will invest £3m (US$4.3m, €3.9m) in the Women’s Super League over the next four years, with host teams being awarded an annual grant. Some money will be held centrally to develop logos and kits for the players, while a “big chunk” will go towards prize money – this is the first time cash has been awarded to women for playing English domestic cricket.
Connor reveals that the ECB is having “really positive conversations” with broadcaster Sky about televising the competition, with inspiration for a possible contract for TV rights being drawn from the successful agreement for live coverage made by the Football Association’s Women’s Super League.
As for measuring success – does Connor have a target in mind? “It would be fantastic to reach an average attendance of 1,000 for first round games,” she says. “That would make me very happy, and for finals day we’ll hope to get nearer to 4-5,000. We’ll do our best to make the most of this opportunity.”
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Put it this way – I wouldn’t get anywhere near being selected for the current England team,” says former England cricket captain Clare Connor, when asked to describe how women’s cricket has developed over the past decade.
“The last few years have been remarkable. We’ve gone from being a completely amateur sport to having a fully fledged, professional England team. We used to have very little televised cricket, but last year every ball of the women’s Ashes was televised live on Sky Sports and broadcast on BBC radio.”
SUPER STUFF Connor, who received an OBE for captaining England to victory against Australia in 2005, is now the person tasked with taking the women’s game to the next level. She’s the director of women’s cricket at England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – responsible not only for the national team, but also for the women’s domestic league set up and for growing the number of female cricketers at grassroots level.
As part of her plans to improve the sport, she’s masterminded the new Women’s Cricket Super League, a six-team tournament set to launch in July this year. The ambition is for the new league to attract the best cricketers from around the world, creating a more competitive environment for English female players and increasing the visibility of women’s cricket.
Connor says getting the league up and running has been one of her greatest career achievements. “It took over, probably, a third of my working life over the last year,” she says. “It’s been really challenging and we’ve had a lot of work to do – preparation, planning and contractual work with the tender process – without ever being 100 per cent sure whether the league would happen. There were many things which could have derailed it along the way – if the bids from the teams hadn’t been good enough, for example.
“I’m really proud that we’ve made it and once the competition gets going I won’t be as hands-on as I was in the planning stage – although ultimately I’ll be accountable and the buck will stop with me!”
THREE Ps Connor says the league will be based on three ‘Ps’ – “Performance, profile and participation – that’s how we’ve approached the concept,” she explains. “Performance obviously encompasses everything that goes on the pitch. By profile we mean the efforts to really keep up the momentum behind the women’s game. The international women’s game has a big profile at the moment – in terms of increased media interest and commercial investment – but there isn’t a high-profile domestic product, so the women’s game is relying heavily on the international game.
“Hopefully the Super League, with the best female players from around the world, will take women’s cricket to another level, from which we can really push and drive the profile for women’s cricket.”
“The third ‘P’ is participation,” Connor adds, and explains how the aim of attracting more youngsters to cricket is enshrined in the foundations of the Super League. Teams wanting to join the competition were asked to include in their bids clearly identified proposals which would inspire growth at grassroots level, reach more women and girls in their communities and grow female audiences for the sport.
All six women’s cricket teams which were selected for the competition did this successfully. They are Hampshire Cricket, Lancashire County Cricket Board, Loughborough University, South West, Surrey County Cricket Club and Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Hampshire, for example, will play its Super League games based on a “road show” model, working with local partners, such as Berkshire Cricket, the Dorset Cricket Board and Southampton Solent University.
EYES ON THE PRIZE The ECB will invest £3m (US$4.3m, €3.9m) in the Women’s Super League over the next four years, with host teams being awarded an annual grant. Some money will be held centrally to develop logos and kits for the players, while a “big chunk” will go towards prize money – this is the first time cash has been awarded to women for playing English domestic cricket.
Connor reveals that the ECB is having “really positive conversations” with broadcaster Sky about televising the competition, with inspiration for a possible contract for TV rights being drawn from the successful agreement for live coverage made by the Football Association’s Women’s Super League.
As for measuring success – does Connor have a target in mind? “It would be fantastic to reach an average attendance of 1,000 for first round games,” she says. “That would make me very happy, and for finals day we’ll hope to get nearer to 4-5,000. We’ll do our best to make the most of this opportunity.”
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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