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Cricket Victoria has revealed a move in reducing barriers for women and girls to participate in the game that will see it purchase dark coloured pants and make them available to all girls competing in this summer’s Youth Premier League in January.

The Youth Premier League (YPL) is the state Under 15 competition, involving over 200 girls from across Victoria.

The move follows a 2021 Victoria University sport participation study of 300 Victorian girls aged between 12 and 18 years which found access to coloured pants, shorts or skirts was a key factor in their involvement.

The research also found the nature of sporting uniforms played a critical role in girls feeling confident about their participation.

Initiating the change, Cricket Victoria Head of Female Cricket, Sharelle McMahon stated “this is an important but simple step we can take towards reducing the barriers for cricket in participation for girls.

“The feedback we’ve had from our participants and coaches in the YPL is that this is an area of understandable concern for players in these age groups. We want all our participants to feel confident, comfortable, and able to play their best without having to worry about the colour of their uniform.

“There is also a broader opportunity for Victorian cricket as well. While we know some clubs and associations have already made this change, we’d certainly encourage others to consider making the switch from wearing traditional whites for women and girls cricket.”

Victoria’s YPL has a strong connection to regional Victoria with the intention of providing players with the same opportunities across state.

The YPL competition runs on the 4th, 9th to 12th and 14th January 2023.

Image courtesy of Cricket Victoria.

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