Why getting girls into sport early matters - A founder’s story

When I was a little girl, the teams I played in were almost entirely made up of boys. Football in the winter, cricket in the summer. Weekends spent chasing a ball around muddy pitches or village greens. I loved it all, but back then, girls’ teams simply didn’t exist in the same way they do now. So if you wanted to play, you joined the boys. I remember being the only girl on some teams. I remember the surprised looks from parents on the sidelines. But I also remember something far more important: the confidence, resilience and joy that sport gave me.

Those early experiences shaped my life. Eventually, girls’ teams started to appear. I went on to captain them. I represented my county in cricket for five years. And today, years later, during maternity leave while raising two small humans, I started a new business dedicated to helping the next generation discover sport. That business is Cricket Kids. One of the things closest to my heart is making sure girls feel like they belong in sport from the very beginning, because for far too many girls, that sense of belonging disappears as they grow up.

Getting girls involved in sport from an early age helps build confidence, coordination and resilience. Sports like cricket encourage teamwork, leadership and problem solving whilst improving physical health. Research in the UK shows girls who enjoy positive early sporting experiences are more likely to stay active throughout childhood and adolescence.

Despite progress in women’s sport, the statistics still tell an important story.Research from Women in Sport found that 43% of teenage girls who once considered themselves 'sporty' disengage from sport after primary school, meaning more than one million girls lose their connection with sport during their teenage years. Confidence is a huge factor, and studies show that 46% of girls aged 14-15 say lack of confidence stops them being active, compared to far fewer younger children.

And the gap begins even earlier. Data from the Youth Sport Trust shows that girls are twice as likely as boys not to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. By adulthood, the impact is clear, with only 7% of women in the UK playing in team sports regularly.

These numbers matter because sport offers so much more than physical fitness.

Sport builds skills that last a lifetime. Research has shown that girls who participate in sport develop higher levels of confidence, leadership, resilience, teamwork and self‑belief. In fact, one UK study found girls who take part in extracurricular sport are 50% more likely to go on to secure senior leadership roles later in life. Sport teaches girls how to try, fail, try again, and realise they are capable of more than they thought (and than others sometimes tell them they are). It teaches them that strength is something to celebrate, and most importantly, it helps them feel like they belong.

Cricket, like many sports, was once seen as a 'boys’ game, but that picture is changing rapidly. Across England, the number of girls’ cricket teams is growing every year. Recent figures from the England and Wales Cricket Board show hundreds of new girls’ teams being created and the number of clubs with girls’ sections continuing to rise across the country. That growth is incredibly exciting and at Cricket Kids we would love to see some of the girls graduate our programme and join these teams. This is why we will always focus on helping young girls discover the game in a fun and supportive environment, building skills that support both sport and personal development.

Cricket is a sport that offers something special: teamwork, strategic thinking, patience, resilience and leadership. It’s a game that teaches children how to support each other, celebrate wins and learn from mistakes, and it’s a game where girls absolutely belong.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through my own sporting journey is this: confidence in sport starts early. Children who have positive early experiences of movement, play and teamwork are far more likely to stay active as they grow up. That’s exactly why we created Cricket Kids. Our sessions are designed for children as young as two years old, because we believe it’s never too early to start building coordination, confidence, ball skills, teamwork and love of sport. And importantly, we want girls to see from the very beginning that cricket is a sport for them too. Not later. Not 'when they’re older'. Right now.

When I watch the girls in our sessions pick up a bat for the first time, I often think about the little girl I once was, standing in a line of boys waiting for my turn to bowl. Back then, opportunities for girls in cricket were limited. Today, things are changing, but progress only happens if we keep creating spaces where girls feel welcome, capable and encouraged.

At Cricket Kids, we want to help children discover sport early, to help girls grow up knowing they belong on the pitch, and maybe, just maybe, to inspire the next generation of cricketers.

The future of women’s sport is incredibly bright. Participation is growing, role models are becoming more visible, and grassroots programmes across the UK are helping more girls get involved than ever before. The real change happens at the very start. It happens when a little girl picks up a bat and realises, “I can do this too”… And when that happens, the possibilities are endless.

When parents think about sports for their daughters, cricket isn’t always the first one that comes to mind. But maybe it should be. At Cricket Kids, we often see girls pick up a bat for the very first time. Sometimes they arrive unsure, sometimes they’ve never held a cricket ball before, but within minutes they’re running, laughing, trying, learning and discovering what they’re capable of. That’s the magic of starting young, as when girls grow up believing sport is for them, it becomes something they carry for life.

So here’s a question for the parents… Have you ever thought about cricket for your little girl? You might discover she loves it!