Over this weekend we have seen some fantastic sport cricket, football, cycling and golf to name a few. In fact i was worn out just watching this on tv as the rain fell, rendering our own cricket match a wash out. There is nothing unusual, i suppose in having a feast of sport on tv over the summer, it happens every year.
This weekend was different though as 2 of the biggest games involved women. England women competed in a thrilling final of the ICC One Day World Cup against India and England women played Spain in the Euro's. Both of these were broadcast live to the nation on tv, the football on Channel 4 and the cricket on Sky.
I remember a few years ago when England won the rugby world cup, the growth in young players starting rugby was amazing. The same thing happened a few years later when England beat Australia to win the Ashes. So many new players came to our junior cricket sessions we had to get more coaches qualified.
I am not a women so take this from a male perspective but, how many young girls will now want to be the next Sarah Taylor or the next Toni Duggan. It is inevitable that there will be girls, along with their mum's and dad's searching local clubs for girls teams so they can try out their chosen sport. I hope clubs are prepared for the influx of new players and can cater for the upsurge in interest. Sadly cricket may not be able to reap the benefits as much as it would like as the season is now drawing to a close. However, clever marking by local clubs over the winter should still see large numbers of girls take up the sport in 2018.
Women's Football is huge business now and is getting greater coverage on tv, radio and in printed press. This can only be good for the game and we are excited to see the potential growth, not just in cricket and football but it is likely that all sports see an increase in female players over the next 12 months.
If your local club doesn't have a girl or women's team, don't worry. Go along anyway and still get involved, as in junior sport, in most cases mixed teams can play up to the age of 14 years. If enough players get involved, it won't be long before a women's section will be the norm in most clubs across the UK.
