New Delhi: Snehal Pradhan, the Manager of Women’s cricket at the International Cricket Council (ICC), believes the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup has been a catalyst in the increase in numbers of female coaches in the game’s age-group system.
As per the ICC, the number of females in coaching roles across participating teams has risen from 12 to 20, compared to the inaugural tournament in 2023. Australia, Samoa and Scotland have all-female coaching teams, while Nigeria and South Africa’s coaching teams are staffed by a majority of female members.
South Africa’s Trisha Chetty and England’s Beth Morgan are among the former top international cricketers who will be coaching during the tournament starting on Saturday. Former England senior women’s head coach Lisa Keightley is also part of the Australian coaching team in this U19 World Cup.
“There has been a shift in momentum which is being played out in the numbers at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. We can’t always see what is happening under the surface but now, we’re seeing a big jump in the number of female coaches, which is a testament to the shift.”
“There is a shift in opportunity, in the realisation that there are careers for women who are looking to make their way in the coaching space and that their talent is recognised and nurtured by the Member Boards,” said Snehal, who played six ODIs and four T20Is for India, in a statement.
The second edition of the U19 World Cup will begin on Saturday and run till February 2, with India entering the competition as defending champions. Snehal also stated the next target for the ICC will be to increase the number of females taking up head coach roles for the future editions of the tournament.
“There is now a collective awareness from our Members of the value of tapping into a workforce that they didn’t before. Our objective with the programme moving forward is to increase the number of head coaches.”
“Some females come in as an assistant coach, and we hope with a combination of our intervention and Member support, our vision is that she will be up-skilled enough to take on a head coach position for the next Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.”
Snehal signed off by explaining why it’s important to have more females in U19 women’s coaching setups and the impact it can have on the wider cricketing world. “The important bit is to show that it’s possible. A woman who is interested in coaching, whether they are from a playing background or otherwise, can see that this is possible, this is feasible, this is realistic.”
“There is a pathway and an opportunity for a livelihood, to stay connected and give back to the game. You can’t be what you can’t see and only when we are able to spotlight these initial trailblazers who then become role models for the next generation, do we start to see generational change.”
(IANS)
