Essex cricket's bid for tier one professional women's team marks "Milestone" for the regional game
Cath Dalton, a representative of the bid as well as an Essex Women's player and fast bowling coach tells us it feels like 'a natural thing' for the club to do
Essex Cricket has recently unveiled its ambitious tender bid to establish a Tier One professional women's cricket team starting from 2025.
This initiative comes as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) plans to restructure the women's professional game, transferring the management of regional sides to First-Class counties for an initial five-year period beginning next summer.
Cath Dalton, a prominent figure in Essex cricket, emphasized the significance of this bid, particularly for female players in the region.
She highlighted the historical lack of professional opportunities for female cricketers in Essex and underscored the transformative potential this bid holds, especially for aspiring young players.
"It will mean a huge amount for Essex because, as a female player, you couldn't play professionally if you were playing for Essex, you'd have to get to a higher level of regional cricket or even international cricket.
"10 years ago there was, no such thing as professional contracts unless you were playing for the England women. So this this is huge for Essex as a county because it means if you're a young girl coming through the pathway system, you can actually see a professional side at the top of of that structure and it means you have something to aim for and it creates role models within the game.
"But I think that professional side is so vital because while I have been playing you have to, do another job alongside playing cricket and sometimes that could be difficult to balance,"
Cath noted Essex's rich history of promoting women's cricket, citing the hosting of numerous England women's matches at the county ground over the years.
She also highlighted the collaboration with neighbouring cricket boards, including Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk, underscoring the collective effort to elevate the standard of women's cricket across the region.
The bid aims to prioritize community engagement and empowerment, aligning with the club's ethos of 'We Are Essex'. Cath Explained:
"Essex has always been a county that promotes women's cricket"
"There's been a huge amount of England women's matches at Essex at the county ground over the years. And the first time I'd been introduced to international women's cricket was going down to Chelmsford with my mum and a couple of under 11 Essex friends to watch the game.
"It felt like a very natural thing for Essex to do and for us as a county to do, go for a tier one bid and try and get professional cricket at the county.
"I think it would be really special for players to run out with an Essex shirt on knowing they are professional cricketers"
Central to the vision of a professional women's team in Essex is a robust partnership with the University of Essex and the Essex Rebels, a professional sports outfit known for their excellence in basketball and volleyball. This collaboration aims to leverage the university's research capabilities to enhance women's cricket and tap into the expertise of the Essex Rebels to shape the identity of the women's team.
"So the collaboration is obviously with the University of Essex. And their researchers trying to get a bit more research into women's cricket because I think that's going to be really important and also collaborating with the rebels is going to be really cool because they're obviously a professional team already. So you get to bounce ideas off of those teams, I think will be really vital for Essex going forward," Cath noted.
Cath expressed optimism about the bid's potential realization, highlighting ongoing discussions with the ECB and the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders. She emphasized the need for involvement from all counties to ensure the success of the bid and elevate the standard of women's cricket in the region.