By RUSSELL BENNETT
THE West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) has moved one step closer to having its own junior girls competition.
It was recently announced as one of 18 Victorian cricket competitions to receive funding through Cricket Victoria’s Junior Female Development Grant.
With a $5000 funding injection, the associations have committed to growing girls cricket at a junior level through initiatives including establishing junior girls competitions, coach and umpire development, purchasing equipment, and marketing and promotion.
WGCA junior cricket co-ordinator Michael Ryan said the grant was applied for on the rationale that “we think there’s a real demand for girls cricket in the region”.
Ryan indicated that, in the early going, a WGCA girls side could play representative games against an equivalent side from the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association – one of the other successful grant applicants, which also falls into the South East Country region.
“We surveyed clubs to gauge their interest and the response was very positive – there are 20-plus (girls) interested already,” Ryan said.
The News understands that the ultimate aim is to get a girls competition up and running in the WGCA.
Ryan said the Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club had also put its support behind the concept through coaching, the potential use of facilities and promotion where needed.
“Hopefully this comes to fruition,” he said.
“All the indicators are very positive so far.
“The WGCA junior committee is really good to deal with.
“No one on there has a girl playing but everyone has an interest in junior cricket and developing this.
“We suspect that there’s a demand for girls’ cricket.”
Following the recent launch of the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), the Junior Female Development Grant aims to build a solid foundation for girls cricket at the local level.
Cricket Victoria’s Grants Committee chair Sue Crow said in a statement on the Cricket Victoria website: “The introduction of the WBBL brings a lot of excitement to the development of female cricket in Victoria and it’s great to see so many associations encouraging girls to play cricket through the funded projects.”
Anyone interested in getting involved should contact their local club, the West Gippsland Cricket Association, or Michael Ryan on 0439 395 487.
