A crucial step has been taken in delivering more opportunities for female cricketers on Redlands Coast with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Redland City Council, local clubs and two of the sport’s major governing bodies.
Mayor Karen Williams said venue upgrades identified in the MOU would support the impressive growth of cricket in the Bayside region – where female participation has quadrupled – and help more players progress to the elite level.
She said it would greatly benefit up and coming female players such as 13-year-old Redlands Tigers player Ruwenthika Nithyananthan who was at the MOU signing earlier this month.
You may also like these stories
“The MOU identifies several infrastructure opportunities for EGW Wood Sportsfield at Wellington Point, which is home to Redlands Tigers Cricket Club and stand-out players like Marnus Labuschagne, Sam Heazlett and Jimmy Peirson,” Cr Williams said.
“It is remarkable how many elite players Tigers has produced over the years and we want to keep this momentum going into the future, particularly given cricket could be included in our home Olympics in 2032.
“One of the aims of this MOU is to provide better facilities that will support growth in grassroots cricket, because we know there has been a significant increase in participation across Redlands Coast, particularly among female players.
“Council sees this as a significant opportunity to get more locals involved in the sport and nurture young talent while also ensuring our grounds at EGW Wood Sportsfield are equipped to host top-level matches.
“The upgrades identified in the MOU include field lighting of Peter Burge Oval, other lighting upgrades, change room extensions, an indoor turf training facility, new fence paneling and a grandstand.
“There is also an opportunity through the MOU to collaborate with other parties on securing funding for female change rooms, which is another crucial piece of the infrastructure puzzle and vital to encouraging greater participation.”
Geoff Teys, the Queensland-based Cricket Australia General Manager of Government Relations, Infrastructure and Community Cricket, said there had been significant growth in entry-level cricket programs.
“There has been 25 per cent growth compared to last year across Queensland, our girls program is up almost 50 per cent, and our fastest growing region is the Redlands region,” Mr Teys said.
“We’ve seen numbers double in the last twelve months, which is very exciting.”
The MOU between Redland City Council, Redlands Cricket Club, Redlands Sporting Club, Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket was signed at EGW Wood Sportsfield on January 9.
