I’m not sure we’ll ever get over England winning the Women’s Euros. We keep pinching ourselves to check we’re not dreaming. After decades of heartbreak, it was a celebration the whole nation could get behind. Hopefully, it will be a real turning point for women’s football too. But could other women’s sports capture our hearts and minds soon? Could millions of us all be tuning into the Women’s Cricket World Cup in three year times?
Sixes, the social cricket bar, thinks so. Women’s cricket has already made history this year by featuring at the Commonwealth Games for the very first time. To celebrate this, they have partnered with the inclusive cricket campaign, We Got Game, to offer groups of women and girls the opportunity to play for free every Friday night this summer.
Cricket has a bit of a reputation as a stuffy and old-fashioned game. Tea breaks and days-long matches don’t help. But Sixes is shaking that notoriety off and giving the sport a much needed refresh. Its batting cages and adjoining table – to enjoy some food and drinks while you watch your mates play – means the cricket is fast-paced, non-pressured, and never dull.
The men’s game already has quite a large following. England’s heart-in-mouth win at the 2019 World Cup was watched by millions. But this initiative hopes to elevate the women’s game and build a community around the sport for young women and girls to come together both on and off the pitch.
“We Got Game is all about getting more women and girls excited about cricket and feel like it’s a place for them, so this is cool,” Issy Wong, England Women and Birmingham Phoenix player. “Cricket changed my life and I love that this gives everyone the chance to try it out.”
Sixes will launch free batting for groups of women and girls on Fridays across all its venues in Birmingham, Manchester, Fulham, Fitzrovia and White City. The initiative will run throughout August to coincide with the Commonwealth Games and the second installment of The Hundred women’s competition, which kicks off August 11. You never know, maybe you or your daughter could be lifting that trophy in a few years time.