The Female Cricket Store: Changing the landscape of women's cricket

Lydia Greenway has launched The Female Cricket Store, an online cricket shop dedicated to the women's game

According to the ECB’s latest action plan, the number of clubs with women and girls sections rose from 579 in 2015 to 855 in 2018, with more than 216,000 women playing cricket in 2019.

Many of those starting their cricket journey are in need of advice when it comes to purchasing equipment and help is at hand, thanks to England legend Lydia Greenway. The Female Cricket Store has just been launched by Greenway and is dedicated to those playing and working in the women and girls game.

With 225 international caps to her name across all formats, plus four Ashes winning campaigns and two World Cups, Greenway knows all there is to know about cricket equipment.

“It was something that I have always wanted to do.” Greenway told The Cricketer.

^{The Female Cricket Store makes purchasing female equipment a much easier and simple process}

“Having had so many conversations with parents, teachers and female players at grass roots level it became really clear that there was something missing. The shopping experience that those people had was often quite a challenging one.

“The route to entry for female players now is so much more diverse. When I was younger we were often playing because we had a male relative. For me it was my Dad. Buying equipment, knowing what to buy and how to wear it was never an issue because he would help me.

“Now girls are being introduced to the game in schools and they don’t necessarily have that relative who knows the game. People might have a daughter who is asking for equipment and the parents have no idea where to go or what to buy.”

At The Female Cricket Store, the equipment available is specifically made for female players.

“We’ve worked with three manufacturers, Kookaburra, SM Cricket and Viking, all of whom have spent a lot of time developing ranges specifically for female players.”

In these ranges the bats are lighter, pads are slim fit with shorter straps and the wristband on glovers are thinner. The shorter straps on pads is an essential feature as no batter wants their pad straps flapping around as they run. In a game of such fine margins that, along with loose gloves or a heavy bat could be the difference between making your ground or being run out.

The store also includes a detailed bat buying guide, so you know exactly what size to buy.

Greenway reflects on her formative years when discussing the reasons why she is dedicated to providing female cricketers with the best possible equipment.

“Our England shirts used to be so big it was as if we were wearing parachutes. Fortunately over the years that has changed because they recognised that the female body shape is different.”

^{The store is partnered with Cricket For Girls}

The problem with clothing still persists at the grass roots level and is something The Female Cricket Store is addressing.

“We’re looking to produce our own range of kit with Cricket for Girls. When I was playing in my teenage years it was just men’s and boy’s sizes. We didn’t really know any different. I can remember wearing lots of kit that was far too big which could make a difference when running between the wicket or when a bowler is entering their delivery stride.

“With the shirts, people think the sleeves have to be shorter but they’re actually fine. It is often around the trunk of the body which is baggy and on the shoulders. It’s about trying to get that tailored for a better fit for the female body. Also if the shirt is too short, when a bowler gets into her bowling action it suddenly lifts up and no cricketer wants that!

“The main difference with trousers is that the crotch in men’s sizes is really baggy. So every female player ends up rolling the top of the waistband at least once. I remember having to do it two or three times.

“Having better fitting clothing will positively impact performance. Hopefully The Female Cricket Store is a better option and makes the game feel more welcoming.”

The Female Cricket Store is just part of Greenway’s mission to make cricket more accessible to women and girls. Her Cricket For Girls programme provides schools and clubs with high-quality cricket coaching, and also teacher training to ensure girls always have access to cricket.

“One of the most common questions we get is from teachers asking what coaching equipment to buy. There is so much out there and lots of equipment is quite niche. We have put three packages together to buy from The Female Cricket Store: softball, hardball and a protective package.”

The softball and hardball packages include various coaching tools to improve batting, bowling and fielding in engaging and fun sessions. And the protective package acts as a communal kit bag so groups starting hardball cricket can share their equipment in training and matches rather than invest in their own. All come in a spacious duffle bag.

Buoyed by England’s historic World Cup win in front of a capacity Lord’s crowd in 2017 and a raucous MCG earlier this year – where 86,000 fans filled the famous arena for the T20 World Cup final – more women and girls are wanting to take up the sport.  Greenway and The Female Cricket Store will ensure they are equipped for the challenge.

To find out more about The Female Cricket Store, visit www.thefemalecricketstore.com or visit their Twitter and Instagram