Welsh Cricket announces new diversity and inclusion strategy

The national governing body for cricket in Wales has released details of a new strategy which aims to make the sport more inclusive and diverse.

Announcing the proposals, which were drawn up in conjunction with Glamorgan Cricket, Cricket Wales has set out three key strands to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion becomes embedded within the sport in Wales:

• Support and Education for the workforce (paid and volunteer) to drive positive change in Wales
• Creating diverse teams and ensuring we have the fairest possible pathway
• Making Cricket Venues – both recreational clubs and Sophia Gardens – feel like home to our diverse communities

Essential

Welcoming the strategy, Rezwan Hassan, Chair of the Glamorgan Cricket Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee, said: “This is essential for us to unlock the best talent, attract new audiences and transform our game to capture the imagination of Wales.

“Only together can we be stronger and I’m looking forward to leading the change that we very much need in our beautiful game in Wales.”

Sue Phelps, Chair of the Cricket Wales Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Sub-Committee, added: “There is no doubt that sport has power to connect, energise and inspire but if cricket in Wales is to achieve its vision it has to reach out to and include the many, not the few.

“As Chair of the EDI Sub-Committee, I can pledge that Cricket Wales, through its Board, employees and volunteers, is committed to make a stand against discrimination, listen to those who feel excluded or marginalised, and explore the most effective ways to translate learnings into real, measurable action.”

In January the sport was warned to “clean up its act” on racism or lose public funding following a parliamentary report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee into Yorkshire’s treatment of spin bowler Azeem Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire in two spells between 2008 and 2018.

The England and Wales Cricket Board also published a game-wide 12-point plan to tackle discrimination last November.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison described the racism allegations made by Rafiq and other players as an “earthquake” in cricket.

The ECB plan includes a review of dressing-room culture, diversity training for all those involved in the sport, a governance review, a drive to remove barriers to playing top-level cricket, localised equality, diversity and inclusion for clubs, counties and government bodies and examining how stadia can be made more welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds.