Interest and investment in South African women’s cricket are higher than ever following the successful hosting of two ICC events in 2023. This delightful news was found as part of a research study conducted by Nielsen Sports, commissioned by the ICC, to measure the over-all effects of and legacy left behind by the tournaments in South Africa.
The Rainbow Nation played host to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, and both events proved a catalyst for positive developments in the women’s game domestically.
The action in both tournaments captured imaginations both abroad and crucially at home, with the South African government investing R15 million over three years into women’s cricket. This has proved the basis for greater professionalisation at the top of the game in South Africa, meaning cricket is a viable career path for women in the country. The investment underpins the current professional domestic structure of women’s cricket in South Africa, including full-time contracts for players and support staff.
In the Nielsen Sports research report, which was commissioned a year after the events took place, it was found that over half of respondents recognised the increase in the number of professional contracts for women at international or domestic level following the two tournaments alongside an increase in salaries and a more competitive domestic competition.
The two tournaments also greatly increased interest in women’s cricket within South Africa, with 83% of respondents identifying a surge in girls’ interest in cricket as a career in the following year.
Most pleasing was the increase in the corporate sector’s interest in the women’s game in South Africa. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has recently successfully signed a title sponsor for its Women’s Pro Series, which consists of the Pro20 and Pro50 competitions for the very first time. Their involvement is not only a significant financial boost but also a reflection of the increasing corporate interest in the women’s game.
This comes as the social acceptance of women’s cricket has increased in the country, with more than 60% of respondents recognising this shift at grassroots level across all groups in society, irrespective of age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.
Subsequently, an increase in participation has also been recognised a year on, with 65% of respondents seeing an increase in soft-ball participation and 69% in hard-ball. Grassroots women’s cricket is still at an early stage of development in South Africa, but a year on from the tournament, 49% of respondents recognised an increase in the number of schools and clubs offering girls’ cricket amongst a wider environment of increased opportunity.
There has also been a recognised increase in interest in non-playing careers following the two tournaments, with 50% of respondents identifying an uptick. This includes female coaches and umpires as well as other non-playing roles such as scorers, match referees and administrators. The Women’s U19 T20 World Cup saw a record, nine out of 15 female match officials appointed for the event, which was a record at the time, followed by the appointment of an all-female panel of match officials for the subsequent Women’s T20 World Cup for the very first time.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) created nine coach developer positions to help identify talented individuals and worked with broadcast partners SuperSport to create the Goolam Rajah Bursary Fund to nurture promising administrative talent. This was part of a general trend of increased opportunities for non-playing careers, with 62% of respondents recognising there are more training workshops and programmes on offer for female coaches, with 67% spotting an improvement in the quality of female coaches as a result.
A year on from the tournament, 55% of respondents feel there are more opportunities for female cricket officials to take part in high-profile matches and tournaments.
CSA CEO, Pholetsi Moseki said: “The legacy left behind by these two ICC Women’s T20 World Cup events will go a long way in changing the course of the women’s game in South Africa. The best part is that while we are seeing active change right now in just over a year since the tournaments took place, the biggest impact of these events will only be seen fully in the years to come.
“The platform and spotlight that women’s cricket received, opened the country’s eyes to this growing part of our beloved game, rousing interest in the corporate sector, which, to us as CSA, is the biggest win of all.”
ICC Women’s Cricket Manager, Snehal Pradhan said: “The hosting of two back-to-back women’s global events was a unique opportunity for South Africa, we aren’t likely to see something like this line up again, the way our events are scheduled. So, the ICC was keen to measure the long-term impact of these tournaments. The report reaffirms the value of hosting women’s events, and the positive impact they can have on the host nation.”
