Growing Girls’ Cricket at St Fagans Cricket Club

Growing Girls’ Cricket at St Fagans Cricket Club

St Fagans Cricket Club has seen remarkable growth in its women and girls’ section over the past two years, supported by Sport Wales investment that has helped remove barriers to participation and give more girls the opportunity to develop their cricket.

In 2024, the club made the decision to split their All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket sessions to girls only and boys only with the ambition of encouraging more girls to sign up and get involved. Despite only having around 12 girls participating at that time, they knew this was the start of a thriving section which led to the start of their girls’ cricket programme in the 2025 winter period. Fast forward to 2026 and due to many dedicated volunteers that number has grown to more than 50 across National Programmes, U10s and U12s! During this season, the players have taken part in U10 and U12 cricket festivals, progressing from softball into incrediball cricket, being able to showcase their development. In 2027, the club also intends to play hardball cricket matches.

Due to the challenges that the club faced in being able to recruit girls at the start of this process, they identified two key barriers to girls progressing in cricket: access to dedicated playing environments and access to equipment. This led to the decision to apply to the Sport Wales Be Active Wales Fund for winter training venue hire and shared hardball cricket equipment to ensure that they were able to provide a safe environment to deliver fun sessions that secured their commitment and enthusiasm to participation through having regular sessions throughout the winter period and to reduce costs for participants, particularly as cricket equipment can be expensive and for children who are growing rapidly may need new equipment regularly. The club wanted to make sure that cost did not prevent girls from having the opportunity to progress from softball cricket into hardball cricket.

The impact of this funding and the approach that the club has taken has been clear. Players have developed significantly since their first winter training session and are developing fundamental skills across batting, bowling and fielding, while participation levels have remained high, with no dropouts reported and players keen to progress into incrediball and hardball cricket. Dominic Griffiths, Club Secretary and Coach stated:

“Once we’d put the pads, gloves and helmets on them once, we couldn’t get them off!”

The investment has helped St Fagans establish a strong foundation for the next stage of its girls’ cricket programme and without the funding they would not have been able to develop the girls’ programme as much as they have. Although the club has not yet formally introduced hardball cricket, they have ambitious plans for the future. The club wants to build on its history of successful men’s cricket by creating a similarly strong pathway for women and girls- from softball, through to incrediball and hardball, and ultimately into competitive cricket. This all begins with the club offering winter training opportunities specifically for girls, but also in conjunction with the U11 boys hardball to aid the development of the older and more experienced players. To support the club’s programme growth and build the pathway, they are actively looking to recruit older girls who may be looking to begin or continue their journey in cricket. Additionally, they plan to develop both their coaching and facilities infrastructure to ensure the environment they offer is welcoming and inclusive.

The current offering is already producing exciting opportunities beyond the club. In 2026, five U10 players were selected for the Glamorgan Early Engagement Programme, exceeding the club’s expectations for such a young and inexperienced group. Through being a part of the programme, the girls have been able to begin the transition into more regular hardball cricket, which has set them up well for an exciting 2027 as the club embarks on their girls hardball journey.

When asked about a particular moment that demonstrated the impact that the investment made, Dominic Griffiths stated, “our fondest memory of this season is seeing the girls participate in a four-team festival very kindly hosted by Vale Cricket Club. This was the first occasion playing incrediball, which required the equipment funded by this grant. Unwrapping the new kit and putting it on was hilarious and as everyone knows the first time you try and run in batting pads is by no means straightforward! They girls absolutely loved it and, whilst winning certainly isn’t everything, seeing the joy on their faces when we won our first game will live long in the memory.”

What began as an attempt to improve participation has grown into a developing girls’ cricket programme with more than 50 participants across the club. With the right equipment, training opportunities, support and feedback collated from participants and their families, St Fagans is creating an environment where girls can try cricket, enjoy cricket and develop the skills and confidence to keep playing.

The journey has only just begun at St Fagans Cricket Club!

A huge thank you to Sport Wales and National Lottery for their continued support and investment in to cricket clubs across Wales.

If you would like support in accessing funding, then please reach out to your Club Development Partner. If you would like support in starting or growing a Women & Girls’ section, then please reach out to your Women & Girls’ Development Officer.